


casual

by k_no_b



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drinking, Explicit Language, F/M, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-12 05:01:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 51,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20558657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/k_no_b/pseuds/k_no_b
Summary: As Tenten begins her senior year at university, she quickly comes to the realization it won't go the way she had planned--primarily because of Neji Hyuga.





	1. madame secretary

**Author's Note:**

> You'll notice throughout this fic that I've made some adjustments to character names, specifically Lee and Guy. I did so for more story cohesion.
> 
> As a side note, most of the chapter titles contain double meanings.

** _~ one – madame secretary ~_ **

It all started when Neji Hyuga was made president of the Asian Student Association.

Gritting her teeth, Tenten tapped her pen against the desk. Surrounding her were the fifty or so students that represented their ASA charter—a mix of upperclassmen, second-year sophomores, and newly recruited freshmen that had shown up during orientation weekend.

At the front of the classroom, Neji cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. Tenten sighed and dropped her pencil beside her planner, moving her hands to her laptop to take notes for the record.

“For those of you I haven’t met yet,” Neji began, “I’m Neji Hyuga. I’ll be your ASA president for this school year, after which Sakura Haruno will take over.”

Neji gestured to Sakura, a pre-med junior with dyed, pale pink hair. Sakura smiled and gave a jaunty wave. There were a few murmured hellos, then Neji continued, “For the freshmen in the room that we met during orientation week, welcome. I’ve been a member of this organization since I was a freshman, and it’s been influential in my collegiate career. As an Asian student organization, we do our best to invite Asian speakers every couple of months, as well as hold fundraisers and cultural events throughout the year.

“This year, we’re going to host one big event in May, before graduation, so most of this semester will be spent fundraising to pay for it. It will be a play on a night market, and it will be campus-wide, which is something we haven’t attempted before. At the next meeting we’ll go into more details. Miss Kato?” Neji looked to their association advisor, Shizune Kato, who walked over with a big smile on her face.

“Welcome!” she greeted brightly. “I’m so excited for this year! I’m Miss Kato, and I am responsible for helping all the events go smoothly, as well as running interference with the administrative leg of the university. I’m very happy about our officers this year—they’re all very talented upperclassmen, and I know they’ll lead us to success!”

Tenten stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Miss Kato took a moment to introduce the officers, briefly re-introducing Neji as president, Sakura as VP, and a stoner junior, Shikamaru Nara as treasurer. When Miss Kato ended with her, Tenten smiled coyly and waved pleasantly to the gathered crowd.

“Let’s have a great year!” Miss Kato exclaimed and dismissed those assembled.

Tenten exhaled as her smile faded, shutting her laptop as she began to assemble her things.

“Tenten! Neji! A word, please?” Miss Kato called.

Tenten glanced at Neji. He was in the middle of a conversation with Shikamaru, but his gaze briefly met hers. Tenten looked away quickly, feeling her expression harden into indifference. She joined Miss Kato and smiled politely.

“Tenten, I’m so happy you decided to take on the secretary position, after our email exchange,” Miss Kato said lowly, treating Tenten to a kind smile. “I’m feeling really good about this year’s officers.”

Tenten nodded but said nothing. A moment later, Neji joined them. Miss Kato looked between them and said, “I just wanted to remind both of you that it is _absolutely necessary_ that the president and secretary collaborate with each other as often as possible. I’ve had years in the past where I didn’t have a good secretary, or vice versa, a bad president, and it caused a myriad of issues. Tenten, it’s up to you to take very detailed and precise notes so we can refer to them in the future if there are conflicts of interest, or we can’t remember something that needs to be done. You’re navigating the ship, so-to-speak! As for you, Neji, it’s important to outline what it is you want to go over in meetings, and to inform Tenten of any outside matters that are discussed if she is not present. If it’s not written down, it didn’t happen! Do you think that’s something you both can commit to?”

“Yes,” Neji said without hesitation.

Tenten scuffed the toe of her shoe against the carpet. “Well, I’m pretty busy, so I don’t know how often I’ll be able to meet. . .”

Miss Kato and Neji stared at her, waiting.

“Tenten,” Miss Kato began, “is there a scheduling conflict? Because if you don’t have the time to commit maybe—wait, Shikamaru! We need to discuss last year’s budget! Excuse me just a moment.” Miss Kato rushed away to catch Shikamaru before he slipped out the door.

“So? Is it a scheduling conflict?” Neji prompted after a beat.

Tenten glanced at him. “No. I’m just busy. I’m a senior,” she added in a clipped tone.

Neji stared at her. “And? So am I.”

Tenten crossed her arms. “I just don’t know how free my schedule is going to be to meet with you every week or every other week. I have a heavy course load and—”

“Why did you accept the position if you didn’t think you would be able to handle it and your classes? It seems to me that you’ve overcommitted.”

Tenten pursed her lips. “I haven’t overcommitted. Look—maybe it would be easier if we corresponded strictly through email. You can send me your outline, I can put it in the record, everyone’s happy.”

“I don’t think you heard Miss Kato correctly,” Neji replied haughtily, raising an eyebrow. “We’re supposed to work together on all association business, not just meetings.”

“I’m aware of what Miss Kato was saying,” Tenten retorted frostily.

“Great. Then we’ll meet this Wednesday in the student center to discuss today’s meeting and the agenda for the next.” He looked pointedly at her and waited, as if expecting her to argue.

Begrudgingly, Tenten shrugged. “Fine. I’ll see if I can fit you in.” She brushed past him.

Neji muttered lowly, so only she could hear, “See that you do.”

As she walked out of the building, Tenten let out a growl of frustration. What an undeserving, condescending asshole.

* * *

As a junior, Tenten had set two strict goals for herself: stick with her recently changed major, even if the coursework killed her, and become president of the Asian Student Association. Tenten spent the entirety of her junior year passionately fundraising for the ASA’s two biggest projects—which is why, when Miss Kato sent her an email over the summer asking her to serve as an officer, Tenten _knew_ her hard work had paid off. That is, at least, until Miss Kato had CC’d all the officers on one email for formal introductions, and Tenten realized that the position she had been working towards for the whole of her junior year had been given to Neji Hyuga instead, the spoiled asshole.

It wasn’t even that Neji Hyuga was a _real_ asshole—he wasn’t like some guys that attended their university: going around, catcalling girls and being generally insufferable and obnoxious. No, Neji Hyuga was simply a spoiled know-it-all with poor social skills, no sense of humor, and a giant stick up his ass. From the first moment she’d met him in their freshman English class, Tenten had decided to dislike him, based off his haughty interpretation of Shelley’s _Frankenstein_. Her opinion of him had only devolved from there.

Most did not hold Tenten’s predisposition. Neji’s reputation of unfailing politeness preceded him, making him a huge draw for freshmen (or perhaps more accurately, freshmen’s parents) during orientation week. There was also his massive intellect (‘swollen ego’, in Tenten’s humble opinion) and his penchant for being willing to help almost anyone (‘self-interested hypocrite’).

Not to mention, he was widely accepted as one of the hottest guys in their graduating class. So, there was that.

Though Tenten wasn’t in the habit of actively avoiding him, this new development of meeting every other week was certainly not how she thought she’d be spending her senior year.

* * *

Tenten sighed and chewed on her thumbnail as she walked across campus to her dorm on a hot August afternoon. It wasn’t that she was _dreading_ meeting Neji—she just didn’t want to waste her time with an egotistical jerk who had claimed of one of her only goals of last term.

Tenten flushed thinking about it. She reached into her jeans pocket for her phone and video-called her brother.

The screen was dark when he first picked up, but after a moment light flooded in, leaving a very sleepy-looking and squinty Rocky.

“Tennie, what’s wrong?” Rocky muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Tenten smiled, a pang echoing in her chest. “Nothing, I’m sorry. I forgot what time it was in Singapore. I’ll call you in a few hours.”

“No, no,” Rocky said, moving to a sitting position. His eyes were fully open now, though shadowy. “I’m awake.”

“No, I’ll call back later. You look like a wreck. Call me when you wake up.” Without another word, Tenten hung up and took the stairs to her dorm two at a time.

When she got into her room, she dropped her backpack on her desk and took a glance around, frowning. The former secretary of the ASA and her roommate, Ino Yamanaka, was studying abroad this semester in Italy. Ino, however loud and crass and irresponsible, was one of Tenten’s closest friends at university, and the start of her senior year felt distinctly lonelier without the blonde’s presence.

Reaching for her phone again, Tenten sent a quick text to Ino saying she missed her. She was, somehow, unsurprised when the phone buzzed a moment later.

**Ino (3:23):** _10, it’s the 2 week of school u cant miss me already. go get toasted_

A second later, Ino sent a photo of a selfie that included two very handsome-looking Italian men and a flawlessly contoured Ino. Tenten smiled fondly and responded with a flexed bicep emoji.

* * *

Since she’d switched to majoring in history last term, Tenten was playing catchup with some of her classes, making her last two semesters overloaded. Unfortunately, she was also having to take statistics—a class Tenten should have taken her freshman year but had somehow skipped over. It was required by the university for graduation, and if she didn’t pass it this semester, she wouldn’t graduate in May, as her advisor had been reminding her constantly.

Tenten loved history. It was a subject she had always been good at and fascinated by, but when she arrived at university, she’d made the decision to take steps for a more practical career option: Business.

However, after taking a particularly difficult economics class last year, Tenten had fizzled out on the business track. In the middle of her junior year, she’d almost had a panic attack in her advisor’s office to go over her options. Eventually, her advisor had pulled out her original college application essay, which had been on the Chinese porcelain trade in the 17th century and its effects on the modern day.

Her advisor had gestured to her paper and said, “This is what got you in to this university. Why don’t you try your hand at it again?”

So, she had. And she’d been loving every minute of it.

The same could not be said for statistics. It wasn’t that Tenten was bad at math; she _had_ been a business major. But something about the subject, its impermanence and fluctuations—it twisted Tenten’s brain around into a jumbled mess.

* * *

Tenten took a deep breath and sat down at her desk to review her statistics notes, her eyes crossing as she tried to make sense of the formulas she’d mindlessly written down. She worked at it for a good hour and a half without making much headway before her phone buzzed with another text.

**Hyuga (5:18):** _Where are you? I’m in the student center._

“Shit,” Tenten muttered, cramming her books back into her bag and sprinting out of her room. She walked at a fast pace towards the center of campus, where the student center sat connected to the library. When she entered, she spotted Neji immediately, sitting at a small two-chaired table by the bay of windows. He looked distinctly irritated.

Tenten walked over and said neutrally, “Sorry, I’m late. I lost track of time.”

Neji did not respond to this, waiting until Tenten sat down across from him and pulled out her laptop to speak. “Do you have the notes from the last meeting?” he asked.

Tenten nodded and pulled them up with a few taps, handing her computer to Neji.

As he reviewed them, he glanced up at her, saying, “How did you think our first meeting went?”

Tenten shrugged, noncommittal. “Fine,” she said.

Neji looked up, wordlessly raising an eyebrow. “Anything else?” he prompted.

After a pause, Tenten offered up limply, “More freshmen than last year.”

Neji nodded and returned to reviewing her notes. “They won’t last. Once most of them get into the swing of things, they’ll disappear. We’ll probably end up with a third of who showed up.”

“I guess,” Tenten replied, wrinkling her nose at his attitude. “We could try to keep them around though.”

Neji continued reading, not looking up. “How do you suggest we do that?” he asked disinterestedly.

Tenten thought for a moment, glancing out the windows. “Well . . . we could do a freshmen workshop—you know, help them feel . . . connected to ASA. We could do team-building or have topic discussions, give them more facetime with the speakers we invite this year. . .” Tenten trailed off.

Neji looked at her, his attention caught. He handed back the laptop. “And how would we start that? It’s already the second week of the semester.”

“We’ve lost some ground,” Tenten agreed. “But that’s from lack of planning. It could be put together over a weekend. It doesn’t have to be excessive—maybe once a month.”

Neji shook his head. “I don’t think we have the resources for that.”

“We wouldn’t need much. All we need is some willing ASA members, and to incorporate it with the speaker’s schedule. It’s not impossible,” Tenten said, growing more excited over the idea as she talked about it.

Neji pursed his lips. “It’s a good idea, but I can’t say yes yet. I’d have to talk it over with Miss Kato.”

Tenten sighed and settled back in her chair. “Fine.”

Neji leaned back, holding her gaze, his expression unreadable. Finally, he said, “I was thinking we could get to know each other better for this first meeting. I know we’ve had classes together before, and we’ve both been in the ASA since freshman year, but since we’ll be working closely together, it would be good to analyze our respective strengths and weaknesses.”

Tenten stared at him, turned off by his stiffness. She picked through her bag for a pen to fiddle with. “Shouldn’t we have this . . . team exercise with Sakura and Shikamaru?” she asked.

“Sakura has a night class this semester, and I have no idea where Shikamaru is. Besides, we agreed at the ASA meeting that we would be meeting privately this year to discuss details.”

Tenten pressed her lips together in disappointment. “Lucky us.”

Neji did not grace this with a response. _God, he really is affected_, Tenten thought. As the awkward silence grew between them, Tenten wondered if Neji disliked her as much as she disliked him. _Probably_, Tenten decided.

“We used to be on the business track together,” Neji began thoughtfully. “But I didn’t see you in any of my classes last semester, and you’re not in any of them this term either. Why is that?”

“I switched to history. That last Econ class was the death nail in my BBA.”

A small, almost undetectable smirk pulled at the corner of Neji’s mouth. “Yes, that was a hard class,” he agreed.

Tenten raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Oh, yeah? It seemed like you didn’t have any problems with it. From what I remember, you were constantly being lauded by the professor for having the highest marks on all our tests. I’m sure he used your work for his grading curve.”

The smirk grew. _So pretentious!_ Tenten thought, frowning.

“You have a good memory,” Neji said.

Tenten waved her pen. “Hence, Madame Secretary,” she replied flatly.

“If I recall correctly, you made good grades in that class too. Not as good as mine, but I’m an overachiever,” Neji said.

Tenten stared at him, beginning to feel a sharp annoyance in her gut. “Well, not everyone can be a genius,” she quipped.

Apparently oblivious, Neji’s smirk widened into a self-deprecating grin. “True.”

At that moment, Tenten’s phone buzzed with an incoming call. Neji frowned disapprovingly, but said nothing as Tenten excused herself, walking outside to take the call.

Rocky looked fully awake now, bright-eyed and energetic as he pressed his face close to the phone’s camera.

“Tennie! Good morning!”

Tenten smiled. “Good evening. Sorry about earlier.”

Rocky shook his head. “Don’t worry! It made me that much more appreciative of the nights when I get a good night’s rest!”

“Rock, I’m actually in the middle of a meeting. Are you—”

“A meeting for what?”

“ASA. It’s kind of dumb, but the president is unbearable and wants to meet separately to go over notes.”

“Ah,” Rocky said, nodding sagely. “Very well. I guess I’ll speak with you later then.”

“Will you be free in an hour? I can call then, and maybe I can talk to you and Dad?”

Rocky shook his head, frowning sadly. “Sorry, Tennie. We’re headed to the studio right after workouts and we’ll be there all day. I’ll text you later, when we’re free, okay?”

Tenten nodded and said goodbye, heading back into the library. In a slightly better mood after speaking with her brother, Tenten said as she sat back down, “Sorry—that was my brother. He and my Dad are in Singapore, and the time difference is a little—”

“Twelve hours,” Neji said, nodding, his pinched expression relaxing. “It’s alright. What are they doing in Singapore?”

“Working,” Tenten answered, unwilling to elaborate.

Neji didn’t push. “Right, well, concerning the next meeting, I’d like to hear your thoughts on some points I want to bring up.”

Neji went on for fifteen minutes as Tenten typed out his agenda, watching him as he consulted his handwritten notes. When he finished, glancing at her for a response, Tenten gave him a mildly convincing nod and closed her laptop. She still had to try to wrestle through her statistics homework, not to mention start on her reading for the week.

“Give them some thought and get back to me,” Neji said with an arched eyebrow as Tenten got to her feet. “We can meet again before the next ASA meeting to discuss it. And I’ll get back to you about the freshman workshop.”

Tenten placed her computer in her backpack. “Shouldn’t you be discussing your agenda more with Sakura?” she posed, eyes narrowed. “She’s the vice president.”

Neji shrugged loosely. “Sakura’s not a senior.”

Tenten’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“You and I have been in the ASA for four years,” Neji said, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he got to his feet. “We’ve fundraised and given the recruitment speeches at orientation. And since we’re two of the three seniors in the association, we should get to decide what legacy we’re going to leave this year.”

“How. . .” Tenten paused, searching for the right word. “. . .elitist of you.”

Neji frowned. “I just believe in making the most of my opportunities,” he replied, gazing at her unabashedly.

“Okay, Hyuga,” Tenten muttered. “I’ll look over your ideas and let you know if I like any of them.”

“I’ll look forward to that. I think we’ll work together well this year,” Neji said, smirking again.

Tenten smiled humorlessly. “I wouldn’t count on that, Hyuga.”

Neji released a small smile and turned away to go towards the library. “I’ll do my best to endear myself to you, then. Goodnight, Madame Secretary.”

Tenten winced at the moniker. As Tenten made her way back to her dorm, she entertained thoughts of dethroning Neji Hyuga from his coveted presidential pedestal.


	2. hot shit

** _~ two – hot shit ~_ **

As August flowed seamlessly into September, Tenten found a rhythm in her busy schedule. In the mornings, she would attend her classes. She’d spend lunch multitasking—eating while she simultaneously tried to make progress with her assigned reading. In the afternoon, she would go to her dorm for a few hours and try to crack the mysterious meaning behind her statistics homework, which was still eluding her, or work on her history essays. Her coursework semi-complete, she would take a quick walk around campus at twilight and try to call Rocky or her father, but often, they were too busy to chat.

Regularly, she would see Neji Hyuga from afar, running at a quick pace, his shirt off. Tenten couldn’t help herself from staring across that great distance, admiring the leanness of Neji’s frame and the unmistakably defined abdominal muscles he possessed. She assumed he lived off campus—she rarely saw him anywhere else other than the library.

She had resisted following up with him on his ASA agenda after their meeting in August. After a quick review, Tenten had decided that Neji, unfortunately, had very good ideas for the next year. However, she was resistant to the idea of feeding his already enormous ego. The next ASA meeting was the second week of September, and Tenten, when not slammed with work, had been refining her freshmen workshop idea.

* * *

One evening, a few days before their next ASA meeting, Tenten was taking her usual walk when she spotted Neji coming towards her. Tenten felt her breath catch as she studied his bare chest up close, glistening with sweat.

When he was a few yards away, he held up his hand in greeting and slowed to a walk, coming to stop in front of her. “You never sent me your comments on the meeting agenda,” Neji greeted, resting his hands on his hips.

Tenten shrugged, dragging her eyes up from his chest to meet his eyes. “I’ve been busy,” she replied shortly.

Neji sighed, eyes hard. “I’m getting the impression that you have too much on your plate. Maybe we should talk to Miss Kato and see if we can get someone to replace you for the secretary position.”

Tenten flushed in anger. “You’re not going to replace me,” Tenten said flatly, glaring.

“Then what’s the problem?” Neji pressed, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

Tenten gritted her teeth, her blood boiling. “The problem, Hyuga, is that I don’t want to work with _you_.”

Neji considered her, looking genuinely puzzled. “Why?”

Tenten exhaled loudly. “Because. I wanted to be ASA president. And up until Miss Kato sent that email announcing the officers, I thought I was. Not to mention you’re insufferable.”

Neji stared at her for a moment, then smirked. “That’s what all of this is about? You’re jealous?”

Tenten felt her blood pressure surge higher. “_Jealous_?” she snapped.

Neji’s smugness grew more pronounced. “Listen, I meant what I said when we met last time. We should have our say in what the association does this year. I wasn’t being facetious.”

Tenten blinked, frowning. “Whether you were serious or not, I like calling my own shots.”

Neji studied her carefully. “Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not giving up this position. I’ve worked hard for it. It’s up to you if you’d rather work with me and make big decisions for the ASA this year, or not.” He shrugged. “For the record, I brought up your idea to Miss Kato and Sakura. They both agreed it was a good thought, and they were willing to let you take the lead on it.”

Tenten tilted her head in surprise. “Really?”

Neji nodded, expressionless. Tenten absently brushed back her bangs, gazing at Neji, feeling slightly embarrassed for her earlier outburst. Sheepishly, she muttered, “Sorry. For being petty. It’s just—it was a goal of mine to be president this year. So, it really pissed me off when Kato picked you instead.”

“I’m assuming that’s why you’ve been avoiding me?” Neji posed.

Tenten waved her hand dismissively. “I’m not avoiding you. I had nothing to say to you.”

“Fine. Now that we’ve come to an understanding, can you be a bit more . . . agreeable?”

Tenten rolled her eyes. “I suppose.”

“Great. Let’s go.”

Tenten stared at him. “Go where?”

Neji gestured in the general direction of the library. “The student center. I want to hear what you think about my agenda, and we should discuss how we’re going to implement your freshmen workshop.”

She quickly tried to think up an excuse to get out of it, but as Neji scrutinized her, Tenten realized she had agreed to be more cooperative. “I don’t have the notes,” she said limply.

“That’s fine. I have a good memory, and so do you, if our last meeting proved correct.”

“You can’t go into the student center like that,” Tenten said, looking pointedly at Neji’s chest.

Neji looked down, apparently forgetting he was shirtless. Tenten thought she detected a slight blush rising to his cheeks as he turned from her and began to walk towards the library.

“We’ll sit outside,” he said smoothly. “It’s a nice night anyway.”

Tenten looked up at the dusky sky as she fell into step with Neji, silently agreeing—he was right; it was a nice night.

* * *

An hour later, Tenten waved goodbye as Neji jogged away from her, headed back home. She smiled to herself as she began the walk to her dorm, pleased with how the conversation had gone. Not only had she managed to fine-tune some of Neji’s objectives, they had also discussed what Tenten would need for the workshop and concluded she would introduce it at the next meeting.

Surprisingly, Neji had taken her criticism in stride, typing out her critiques into his phone to review later. _Maybe his ego isn’t as big as I originally thought_, Tenten thought as she headed back to her dorm.

* * *

A few days later, as Tenten was leaving her last class of the day, her father called.

Maito Li was a towering figure usually dressed in a forest green tracksuit. He was a man of around fifty, with slowly graying jet-black hair, and a glowing, thousand-watt smile. He was an emotional man, despite his physical prowess, who frequently teared up when speaking about his children or dearly departed wife.

“Tennie, how are you!” Maito exclaimed in Mandarin, his face pressed close to the phone’s camera.

Tenten smiled and sat down on a bench, settling in. “Fine. How are you, Baba?”

“Excellent! Rocky and I just finished an invigorating exercise class with a group of Singaporean Shaolin masters!”

“That sounds like . . . fun,” Tenten replied.

“It was! A little demanding for these old bones, but I enjoy the challenge!”

“Well, don’t overexert yourself, Dad. You’re not thirty anymore,” Tenten said, raising her eyebrows.

“Right, right. How is the semester going?” Maito asked, switching to English.

“Fine. It’s just a lot of work. . .” Tenten said, chewing on her thumbnail. “Statistics is kicking my ass.”

Maito hummed, listening carefully. “Do you think you should get a tutor?”

Tenten made a face. “Baba, seriously.”

“Tennie, if it’s a difficult subject, I don’t see why you shouldn’t ask for help. Maybe the professor—”

Tenten winced. “Things don’t work like that here, Dad. I’ll be fine. I just need to . . . focus more.”

Maito nodded and backed off the subject. “Rocky mentioned that you were having to attend extra meetings for the student association. Is that taking up too much time?”

“No, I can handle it,” Tenten said, feeling defensive. “Besides, guess what? I’m going to start a freshmen workshop. You know, to help them feel more ingratiated to the association.”

Maito brightened, his eyes beginning to well with proud tears. “I’m so proud of you, Tennie. I worry about you,” Maito confessed, sniffling.

Tenten smiled tightly, her heart clenching a little. “Dad, don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

“I just worry about you being by yourself. You said Ino is in Italy this semester? Are you spending time with other friends?”

Tenten frowned. “Baba, I’m busy. I spend almost all my time studying for statistics or writing papers. I’m doing fine!” she complained.

“Okay, okay,” Maito said, backing off with a sigh. “But it’s never a bad time to make new friends, Tennie. You know that.”

_Tell that to my statistics professor_, Tenten thought. To her father, she said, “Thanks, Dad. Is Rock around?”

Maito shook his head. “He’s in the sauna. I can have him call you later, but it will be a late night for us. We’re doing a cultural festival demonstration tonight!”

Tenten smiled and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll catch him some other time.”

“We miss you, Tennie. Why don’t you come to Singapore over Thanksgiving break?”

“That’s okay, Baba. I probably need to stay here to prepare for finals.”

“For Christmas then?” Maito prompted.

Tenten pursed her lips. “Maybe.”

Maito sighed. “Alright, Tennie. Study hard. We love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

Maito grinned and hung up, and Tenten leaned back into the bench, closing her eyes tiredly. She rested her eyes for a few moments before opening them again, content to people watch for a while before returning to her dorm to study.

She spotted Sakura walking with Naruto Uzumaki, another junior member of the ASA. They seemed to be squabbling. Tenten casually held up her hand to them as they approached, further surprised when Sakura sat down firmly next to her. She was saying to Naruto in an annoyed tone, “I’m not going to tell you this again. If you like her, then ask her out.”

Naruto stood in front of them, squinting in the afternoon sunlight. He sighed and ran a hand through his bleached hair. “Sakura, you don’t get it. I can’t just _ask her out_.”

“Why not?” Sakura demanded.

Naruto glared down at her. “You know why.”

Tenten watched this exchange with interest but said nothing. Sakura rolled her eyes. “Then it’s your own fault if she gets asked out by someone else. Now, go away.”

Naruto moped away, waving goodbye to Tenten as he slouched off. “What’s with him?” Tenten asked.

Sakura sighed and crossed her legs. “He’s got a huge crush on Hinata Hyuga.”

Tenten raised her eyebrows. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Sakura said. “She’s way out of his league, but he’s liked her since sophomore year when she accidentally spilled formaldehyde on his pants in lab. He says it’s true love.”

“That’s . . . some story,” Tenten said, hiding a smile. Naruto was a goofy guy—imagining him with a quiet beauty like Hinata was almost impossible.

“Anyway, he’s been trying to ask her out all semester, but it’s not going the way he wants. Mostly because of Neji.”

Tenten frowned. “What does Neji have to do with anything?” Tenten asked.

“Neji is like Hinata’s older brother. He just thinks Naruto isn’t serious enough.” Sakura paused thoughtfully. “Which, you know, he’s not. But I say, if Naruto wants to make a fool out of himself in front of the prettiest girl in our graduating class, then be my guest.”

“So, you’re not helping him?” Tenten questioned, glancing at Sakura.

Sakura snorted. “Not really. I’m just telling him when his ideas are too dumb to try. All the others—well, I’m giving him free rein.”

Tenten nodded, feeling sympathy for the spastic blonde junior. “If he likes her, he should go for it, even if Hyuga’s overprotective.”

Sakura smiled and sent Tenten a mischievous glance. “Speaking of Hyuga, he thinks you’re hot shit.”

Tenten’s eyes snapped to the younger girl. “What is that supposed to mean?” Tenten said edgily.

Sakura shrugged, the corners of her mouth twitching impishly. “Just that he thinks you’re really smart. He pulled Kato and I aside a few weeks ago to tell us about your workshop. We all agreed it was a good idea.”

Tenten chewed on the edge of her thumbnail. “Thanks, I guess, but I don’t really care what Neji Hyuga thinks about me.”

“I meant it as a compliment,” Sakura assured. “Hyuga seemed excited to start it this month. Do you have the details worked out?”

“Yes, mostly. You’re too busy to volunteer a Saturday, right? You’re pre-med.”

Sakura nodded and sighed heavily. “Yes. It’s too late for me to quit now, but I wish I could. The coursework is killing me. You switched majors, right? Last year? So, you’re dying too.”

Tenten hummed in agreement. “Yep,” Tenten exhaled. She glanced at the time on her phone. “Speaking of—homework is calling my name.” Tenten got to her feet.

“I know Ino is gone this semester. If you ever need someone to hang out with, I’m around,” Sakura offered.

Tenten grinned. “Thanks. Same here.”

“Bye,” Sakura said, turning to her phone.

Tenten began the walk back to her dorm, satisfied that she’d partially fulfilled her father’s request.

* * *

At the next ASA meeting, once Neji had introduced his fall proposals for fundraising and speaker events, he gave the floor to Tenten.

Feeling slightly nervous, Tenten stood and faced the fifty-odd faces crowded into the lecture hall. “Hello, everyone. For those of you that I haven’t met yet, I’m Tenten. I’ve been a member of the ASA since I was a freshman. Some of you, when you got to this university, knew exactly what you wanted when you got here. You made friends easily, and the classes were a breeze.” Tenten smiled. “That wasn’t exactly how it went for me. It took me a while to find my place here. My family and I live far apart from each other, so when I joined the ASA, it became like a second home for me. That’s what we would like it to be for you—a kind of home where you can make friends with the same values or the same cultural experiences as you. In this chapter of the Asian Student Association, we have representation from ten different countries. For freshmen and transfer students, it can be a very confusing transition, from high school to university. As a student organization, we want our members to feel as comfortable as possible in this new environment. Which is why we will be offering freshmen and transfer student workshops.” Tenten gestured to her handful of upperclassmen mentors, whom she’d instructed to sit together. “These upperclassmen will be leading the workshops once a month. I have the sign-up sheet here.” Tenten dangled a piece of paper from her fingers. “If you have questions, the officers and Miss Kato are here to answer them.”

Her cheeks warm, Tenten sat down again and pulled up her meeting notes. Miss Kato took the floor, clapping her hands, before launching into proper fundraising etiquette. Tenten felt eyes on her, and she looked up. Across the room, Neji nodded at her approvingly. Tenten smiled back, tightly.

* * *

When the meeting was adjourned, Tenten distracted herself by putting away her things, avoiding glancing over at the sign-up sheet.

Sakura walked over; eyes wide with awe. “That was a nice speech,” she complimented.

Tenten laughed awkwardly. “Thanks. I was nervous.”

“You did a good job,” Sakura guaranteed, smiling. “Everything you said about the ASA being like a second home—that was really nice. You even got a few sign-ups, so that’s good.”

Tenten thanked her and made her way towards the door, pausing when she heard someone calling for her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Neji coming towards her.

“I think I spoke too soon,” he said, drawing up next to her.

Tenten narrowed her eyes. “About what?”

“Clearly, Miss Kato should have made you ASA president. I’m going to turn in my resignation, effective immediately.”

Tenten rolled her eyes. “Are you trying to pay me a compliment? Because that one was really lame.”

Neji smirked. “You spoke eloquently,” he amended smoothly.

Tenten groaned loudly. “Hyuga, did you learn how to speak in finishing school? All you have to say is, ‘Good job’.”

Neji’s mouth twisted, but Tenten could not tell if it was from embarrassment or mockery. “Good job,” he said.

“Thanks.” Tenten moved towards the door to leave.

“Do you want to go to the student center to discuss notes?” Neji asked.

Tenten halted and looked at him over her shoulder. “Not really. I have a lot of homework I need to work on. You know—midterms.”

“Right,” Neji said. He sent her a thin smile and turned back to the lecture hall. “See you around, then.”

“Yep,” Tenten said, eyes narrowing as she watched him retreat, feeling confused.

“What did I say?” Sakura said to her as she passed by, going through the door into the hallway. She waggled her eyebrows to Tenten suggestively when she gave her a bemused look. “_Hot shit_,” Sakura shrugged.


	3. standard deviations

** _~ three – standard deviations ~_ **

A few weeks later, just as autumn was bringing a crisp bite to the air, Tenten sat in the hall outside her statistics lecture having an anxiety attack. Tenten cradled her head in her hands as she crouched against the concrete wall, trying to calm the tightness in her chest. She inhaled sharply and held her breath for a few seconds before exhaling. She repeated this technique until she felt relaxed enough to ease into a seated position on the floor. Slowly, she felt less clammy and panicked. She glared at the door to her classroom across the hallway, pushing down the rise of nausea that resurfaced in her gut.

“Tenten?”

Tenten glanced to her left to see Neji Hyuga standing a few feet away. Weakly, her head spinning, she said, “That’s Madame Secretary to you, Hyuga.”

Neji walked over, studying her. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Tenten sighed. “Just . . . hanging out.”

Neji glanced around—the hallway was mostly empty since classes were in session. “Are you skipping class?” he finally asked.

“No,” she scoffed, shooting him a glare. “I—I was feeling a little overwhelmed, so I stepped out.”

Neji crouched down next to her, taking off his backpack. He withdrew an unopened water bottle and handed it to her. “What class are you taking?” he asked.

“Statistics,” Tenten answered, uncapping the water and taking a swig. She sighed contently at the marginal refreshment.

Neji looked at her, clearly struggling to hide his amusement. “Statistics? Why didn’t you take that freshman year?”

Tenten closed her eyes, leaning her head against the cool cinderblock wall. “Didn’t fit in my schedule. And then it never got worked into any of the other semesters, so I had to take it this one, or else my last semester would be completely screwed up. Don’t laugh—I’m already mortified.”

Neji’s mouth quirked, but he didn’t tease her. Instead he asked, “Why were you feeling overwhelmed?”

Tenten chuckled humorlessly. “Hyuga, it’s statistics. Are you kidding?”

“You were a business major,” Neji reminded her.

Tenten turned her head to look at him. She was thoroughly displeased to see the smirk emerging at the corner of his mouth.

“And? They’re not mutually exclusive. I’m a research girl, not a standard deviation girl.”

Neji’s smile deepened, and Tenten wondered if he thought she was funny, or if he just found her pathetic. _Probably pathetic_, she decided.

“Let me guess, the professor went off on a tangent about hypothesis formulas,” Neji said.

Tenten’s headache increased. “Please don’t use that kind of language around me, Hyuga,” she replied primly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“I can tutor you,” Neji offered after a beat.

“That’s highly unnecessary. I just need to . . . bribe the professor, and I’ll be fine,” sighed Tenten.

“I’m serious. I’ve been through a lot of statistics courses. I won’t even charge you like all of the other people I tutor.”

“Hyuga, you really don’t have to. I’m sure you’re too busy. . .” Tenten trailed off, remembering the lecture she was currently missing by sitting outside—her panic spiked again.

“I am busy, but we can discuss ASA at the same time. Two birds with one stone,” Neji said, getting to his feet. He held out his hand to help Tenten up. Gingerly, she let him pull her to her feet, her knees still shaky with nerves.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to,” Tenten said uncertainly, peering at Neji for signs of annoyance. He stared back at her with a mild expression.

“I’m sure,” he said. “If it hurts your ego so much, you don’t have to tell anyone. I won’t.”

Tenten flushed, feeling a mix of embarrassment and indignation. “I don’t have an ego,” she scoffed. “Not near as big as yours anyway.”

The skin around Neji’s eyes crinkled, as if he were about to smile, though he didn’t. “Come to the library tonight and bring your notes,” he said, before brushing past her.

Students began to trickle out of the classrooms, leaving Tenten to push against the tide to go back in and retrieve her frustratingly illusory statistics notebook.

* * *

Later that evening, Tenten found Neji on the second floor of the library at a quiet corner table. He looked up when she stopped in front of him.

“Feeling better?” he asked casually as Tenten fished out her statistics notebook.

Tenten made a face and wordlessly handed him the notes. Flipping through the pages quickly, Neji finally met her eyes, his eyebrows raised.

“It looks like you tried to copy down every word the professor said, and that you were very unsuccessful. I can _guarantee_ you that is a strategy that will result in failure,” Neji said, an interesting gleam in his pale eyes.

Tenten sat down with a sigh and eyed him. “I may not be good at statistics, but even I can tell how lame that joke was.”

Neji smirked and without preamble, pushed her notebook across to her and launched into statistics principles Tenten vaguely remembered her professor mentioning in class. She picked up her pen and started writing down Neji’s mini-lecture, word for word. Neji watched her for a moment, before stopping mid-sentence. “Stop writing down everything I’m saying. You’re not going to understand it that way.”

Tenten blinked in irritation. “Then how do you suggest I understand what you’re saying? I’m not going to remember anything you’re talking about.”

“I don’t want you to try to understand everything. Look—” Neji grasped her notebook and scrawled out a statistics problem. “What kind of problem is this?” he asked, pushing it back to her.

Tenten sighed and squinted at the problem. Neji waited patiently.

“A population?” Tenten guessed.

Neji nodded and tapped the problem. “Good. Now, write down everything that this problem is asking for.”

Tenten bit her lip and began trying to decipher the problem’s meaning, determinedly ignoring the weight of Neji’s gaze.

An hour and a half later, after being forced to work through some formulas, Tenten sat back in her chair and declared she was done for the night.

“Fine,” Neji said professionally, grabbing his phone. “We need to discuss the speaker schedule anyway. We’ve already had someone cancel, so we need to come up with an alternate for . . . December, after Thanksgiving break.”

Tiredly, Tenten withdrew her laptop from her backpack and waited, expecting Neji to launch into the different options he’d decided on. Instead, he glanced at her and asked,

“What do you think about Jiraiya Gama?”

Tenten stared at him. “Are you kidding?”

“You think it’s a bad idea?” Neji prompted, tilting his head.

“No, but—”

“He’ll be too difficult to book?” interrupted Neji, his hand wandering to retrieve a small black planner from his pile of books. “Uzumaki is his godson, so I was thinking he’d be willing to do it on short notice.”

“Really? Naruto knows him?”

Neji nodded distractedly. “He dedicated one of his books to him. Apparently.” Neji did not sound so impressed with this, and Tenten wondered if it was because of Naruto’s interest in Hinata.

“He’s a well-known expert on relationships,” Tenten mused, tapping her pen to her chin. “What do you think he would speak on?”

“Hopefully not the reproductive system,” Neji quipped.

Tenten pressed her lips together, trying not to smile. “It sounds like you’re not so impressed with his bibliography.”

Neji glanced at her, then looked back to his planner, jotting down a few notes. “You’re telling me you’ve read his books?”

“And if I have?” Tenten posed. “I knew I was right when I said you were an elitist. You probably went to private school, right, Hyuga? Where your precious ideas were protected from corrupting influences?”

Neji looked up at that, staring at her with an unreadable expression. “You’re a very judgmental type of person,” he finally said.

“Judgmental?” Tenten replied, frowning. “I’m not judgmental.”

“Nonjudgmental, not egotistical. . . It doesn’t add up,” Neji said, smirking. “Who cares if I went to private school?”

“I’m only saying your private education clearly led you to be closed-minded about things outside the realm of that experience.” Tenten rolled her eyes, muttering, “You can probably recite Hamlet from memory.”

“And if I can?” Neji asked attentively.

“Good for you,” Tenten said. “Though I don’t know many people who would be impressed by a party trick like that. Maybe you should try reading a joke book; work on your social skills.”

Neji smiled wryly. “I’ll take that under advisement.”

Tenten exhaled tiredly and spoke little over the remainder of their discussion, typing out Neji’s suggestions and setting calendar notifications for various tasks.

As they were leaving the library, Neji said out of nowhere, “I see why you were a business major. The dean should be really disappointed he lost you to the history department.”

Tenten ignored him, waving a hand indifferently over her shoulder as they parted ways.

* * *

This year, midterms were a new kind of hell for Tenten. Not only did she have to submit five different history essays ranging from 1880s Eastern Europe to ancient Greece to the Silk Road, she additionally had to sit for an exam on Chinese intellectual thought in the mid-century, as well as pass her statistics midterm. By the second week of October, Tenten was walking around feeling constantly sleep-deprived, anxious, and frazzled.

Her essays were simple enough to complete, as well as her mid-century Chinese intellectual exam; it was largely a matter of time management and staying on top of the research. It was statistics that was naturally giving her most of her stress. After reviewing her current grade with her professor (a low C), Tenten calculated she needed to pass with nothing less than a B to keep her average. She met with Neji a few more times over midterm week, but they were tense sessions and not particularly helpful—mostly because Tenten refused to say more than two words. Without much guidance on what she was struggling with, Neji quickly grew irritated. He silently wrote down various mock tests, which Tenten attempted to finish with varying levels of success.

The night before her statistics midterm, as they were leaving the closing library, Tenten put aside her pride enough to ask Neji a single question: “Do you think I’ll pass?”

Neji had looked at her and shrugged. “Stick to the basics,” had been his frustratingly simple advice.

Tenten made it through her midterm with only a mild semblance of nausea, chewing on her thumbnail until it was bitten to the quick. She was the last to finish her exam, and when she turned in her test, the sympathy in her professor’s face was almost too much to bear. The results came almost a week later and Tenten was so relieved with her B- she broke her silence to text Neji a picture of her exam paper.

He’d responded with a thumbs up, but nothing else.

* * *

As the last week of October crept onto campus, the edges of Halloween began to be seen. Like the emergence of pumpkin spice lattes and black felt spiders in stores, the holiday showed itself in the clusters of students toting plastic-bagged Spiderman and Sexy Nurse costumes over their shoulders. There was also a plethora of slightly rotting pumpkins on almost every dorm porch, as well as some ugly bashed in ones scattered around campus (the most disturbing being behind the infirmary). Tenten wasn’t overly fond of Halloween—for her it was mostly a holiday used to get drunk, and she was not one to pass up an opportunity to let loose, especially with her midterms firmly behind her.

When Naruto’s Halloween party invitation arrived in the form of a text on Tenten’s phone, Tenten knew she would have to make a costume decision that was cheap and easy to wear. She decided on one of her old Shaolin uniforms—a hand-me-down from her brother.

Tenten smiled at her reflection as she pinned her hair into buns, looking forward to the prospect of getting tipsy enough to forget school for one night. She reached out and thumbed through her messages before she found Naruto’s text.

**Naruto Uzumaki (3:45): ** _Hallowween party—Sat!_

**Naruto Uzumaki (3:47): ** _Bring bEERRRRRR_

**Naruto Uzumaki (4:15): ** _At the Lotsus apts off campus_

**Naruto Uzumaki (8:32): ** _BEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!_

Tenten rolled her eyes and headed out the door. It was a short walk to the Lotus Apartments—they were south of campus, near the cafeteria. Tenten heard the party before she saw it. She followed the noise through a parking lot and around a corner. Naruto’s apartment door was thrown open, though there were several revelers chatting on the sidewalk. Tenten slipped into the apartment and cast an eye around the dim room. Naruto had installed countless stringed pumpkin lights across the ceiling—several were blinking or dark, clearly suffering from an electrical short.

Tenten squeezed her way into the kitchen and pushed aside some chip bags to set down the six-pack of beer she’d brought. This done, Tenten turned to survey the liquor selection that had been crammed on a tiny section of kitchen counter next to the microwave. She was examining a bottle of tequila when a hand clapped her on the shoulder.

“TENTEN! YOU CAME!” Naruto whooped.

Tenten smiled at him, casting a glance at Sakura, who was standing just behind him, looking annoyed. “Yeah,” she said to Naruto. She gestured over her shoulder. “I brought beer.”

“TENTEN, YOU’RE THE BEST!” Naruto traipsed over to the six-pack, crouching to read the label.

“He started early, huh?” Tenten said to Sakura.

Sakura, in a prim black velvet bodysuit and cat ears, winced and sidled up to her. “You have no idea. He’s so nervous because, apparently, Hinata is coming.”

Tenten hummed and plucked the cap off the tequila bottle, reaching for the plastic cups waiting on top of the microwave. She poured in a generous amount and knocked it back, relishing the punch. Smiling, she filled the cup to half and cast an eye around the other drinks available—she reached for a gallon of store-bought lemonade and added a dash.

“Whoa, slow down, cowgirl,” Sakura said as Tenten chugged her drink, closing her eyes.

Tenten treated her to a haughty look. “I’m a martial artist, not a cowgirl, Kitten.”

Sakura rolled her eyes and took a sip of her beer, watching as Tenten refilled her cup. “Just don’t destroy your liver in one night, okay?”

Tenten nodded and waved her off, setting off to wander through the small apartment. Most of Naruto’s attendees were underclassmen, much to Tenten’s chagrin. There were a handful of ASA members and people in her year that she spotted, but she didn’t know any of them well since they were in different departments. After meandering a little more, Tenten perched on the edge of a couch. Sipping on her tequila and lemonade, she let the alcohol do its work as she settled into one of her favorite hobbies—people watching.

There were several attempts to get people to dance, mostly by Naruto, but the crowd wasn’t having it, all being too interested in their own conversations. There was an almost fight between two freshmen—apparently arguing over who was going to buy more beer—until one of their friends stepped in and said they had an extra six-pack in the trunk of their car.

By a quarter to eleven, Tenten had moved from tipsy to inebriated and was wondering if she should go back to her dorm and sleep when Hinata and Neji Hyuga appeared in the open doorway. Tenten was impressed with Hinata’s outfit—a gauzy, dreamy skirt with a poofy-sleeved shirt. She had pinned glittery star barrettes in her jet-black hair and looked genuinely too beautiful to be standing in Naruto’s shitty apartment. Tenten opened her mouth to tell Hinata this from her perch on the couch but held it back as Naruto jetted over to embrace the new arrivals, laughing nervously.

“God, he’s going to make a fool of himself,” Tenten muttered, shaking her head as she took another sip from her cup.

She watched their exchange with interest. Eager to please, Naruto attempted to persuade Hinata to take a beer, but she politely declined five or six times, her blush deepening with each rejection. Slightly crestfallen, Naruto switched tactics, deciding to give them a tour of his apartment. As Neji made to follow, Hinata shot him a look over her shoulder that Naruto missed, but Tenten did not. She snorted loudly as Neji let them walk away. Tenten flicked her eyes to Naruto and was pleased to see he had wrapped his arm around Hinata’s waist.

“Good for you, Naruto,” she whispered into her cup. When Tenten glanced back to Neji, she was mildly irritated to see he had spotted her and was walking over.

“What are you supposed to be?” he asked by way of greeting.

“A martial artist,” Tenten replied in a clipped tone, gulping down another swallow of tequila. “What are you? This is a Halloween party, you know.”

“I came as your worst nightmare,” Neji responded flatly. He studied her and grasped her cup, sniffing the contents. He winced and handed it back.

“I can make you one,” Tenten offered, amused. “I’m going for Drunken style tonight.”

Neji smirked, and Tenten was pleased he understood her joke.

“I’m not drinking tonight,” Neji said.

“That’s a shame. I guess you’ll have to remain a pompous ass.”

Neji shrugged, unfazed by her quips, his eyes staying on hers. “Pumpkins are pumpkins, even if they appear to be stagecoaches.”

Tenten snorted loudly and coughed. Bleary-eyed, she peered up at Neji. “It must be the magic of Halloween or something, because I think you’re actually being funny right now. It’s either that or the alcohol.”

Neji rolled his eyes. “It’s the alcohol,” he replied. “How much have you drunk already, anyway?”

“Two and a half of these,” Tenten answered, shaking the cup. “Tequila is my ‘get wasted juice’.”

“Did you drive here?” Neji asked.

“No. I don’t have a car. I walked.”

Neji shook his head, sitting next to her on the arm of the couch. “I’ll drive you home whenever you’re ready to go.”

“Nah, I’m fine. I’ll walk.”

Neji didn’t reply—Tenten assumed he was restraining himself from arguing with her. In a curious mood, she asked, “Why aren’t you drinking?”

“I told you. I’m driving.”

“No shit. But you could if you wanted, and then just call for someone to pick you up,” Tenten snapped.

“No, I couldn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because it would be irresponsible. And I’m supposed to be watching out for Hinata.” At this, Neji glanced around in search of his cousin. Tenten nudged him with her shoulder.

“Stop. She’s here to hang out with Naruto. He wouldn’t do anything she wouldn’t want to do.”

“Whatever. He reeked of beer when he came over.”

“He’s nervous!” Tenten proclaimed, a little noisily. “Hinata’s so freaking gorgeous. He knows she’s out of his league.”

“Then why is he even trying?” Neji posed, annoyance written across his brow.

“Because he _likes_ her. I know that’s probably hard to understand since no one has ever been romantically interested in you your whole life, but that’s a big deal. He’s gotta go for it if she’s sending the signs.”

“I’m surprised you know anything about it,” Neji said.

“Sakura tells me everything,” Tenten stated boldly. And I’m good at making observations.”

Neji’s mouth quirked into a fleeting smirk. After a beat, he asked, “What are the signs then? That she’s sending his way?”

“Did you see what she wore tonight? It’s not a conventional, store-bought costume—that took effort and planning. She dressed _up_ for him and she looks amazing. Plus, I’m guessing she’s nervous too, which is why she kept saying no to all the alcohol. And she totally told you to back off when you tried to follow them around like her dad.”

Neji had watched her throughout her analysis, his attention rapt. Tenten met his eyes and shrugged. “Just call it like I see it,” she mumbled into the rim of her cup.

Neji smiled—a real smile for once, soft around the edges and warm, without a trace of his usual mockery. Tenten blinked, unexpectedly mesmerized. “You’re right,” Neji said finally, glancing around the room. “You are good at observations.”

“Thanks,” Tenten replied, polishing off the rest of her drink.

She felt good and uninhibited, her head a little far away, her thoughts playful. She cast a side-eye to Neji and studied his features and noted how _good_ he looked—not his usual constipated, stuck-up expression. And that smile—that had been something.

Her mind made up, Tenten got to her feet, swaying a smidge as she reached out her hand to Neji.

“Come on, pretty boy,” she said.

Neji raised his eyebrows at her but let his hand fall into hers. Due to her earlier reconnaissance of the apartment, Tenten was aware of a tiny linen closet set into the hallway next to the bathroom. She opened the door and pulled Neji inside after her.

It was an impossibly small space. In the dark, Tenten felt flustered and excited. She groped through the darkness and accidentally elbowed Neji sharply in the chest. He gasped in pain. “Sorry,” she muttered, though she didn’t feel sorry. “I’m trying to find your face.”

Neji chuckled, though she couldn’t tell if it was a confused chuckle or a nervous one. “What—” he began.

Tenten wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, relishing his softness and the weird heat of being shut inside a linen closet with someone she somewhat disliked. And Neji—Tenten fortunately discovered—was a good kisser.

Tenten felt him press up against her, her shoulder aching as she was pressed against the doorframe—but she pushed the discomfort from her mind, focusing on the supple way Neji’s mouth tugged at hers. His hands rested politely on her waist. Tenten almost cursed herself for wearing her uniform—she was suddenly hot and stuffy and wanted these clothes off so she could put Neji on.

Tenten pulled him closer to her, her hips grinding against him. Neji’s lips moved down to her neck and Tenten moaned, dizzy. She mussed his hair and sighed as his tongue made her shiver. God, she wanted to feel him inside her mouth.

Abruptly, Tenten pushed him back and ordered, “Take off your pants.”

Neji was breathing heavily, and Tenten wished this closet had some light so she could see if he looked as wild as she felt. He leaned back from her on the opposite wall.

He said roughly, in a strange tone of voice, “Tenten—”

Suddenly, the small linen closet was filled with outside light. A narrow-eyed Sakura looked in at them, her finely plucked eyebrows raised. “Sorry to interrupt,” she said lightly, green eyes flickering between them. “But Naruto is currently retching his guts out in the kitchen sink. Hinata was wondering where you were, Neji—she said she wants to go, since Naruto isn’t feeling well.”

His composure regained, Neji slipped out of the closet and past Sakura, turning down the hallway to find Hinata. Tenten sheepishly met Sakura’s eyes, unable to control the smirk that rose to her lips.

Sakura smiled impishly. “Well, well, well,” she said.

“Don’t start,” Tenten muttered, brushing past her. Tenten had decided now was the time to bow out of the party—before she continued to make other egregiously inebriated decisions. As she walked (a more accurate description would be stumbled) out into the parking lot, a hand grasped her elbow. With more force than was probably necessary, Tenten whirled on her heel, her hand coming up blindly in defense.

Neji shot her an amused look but released her elbow. “Get in the car, Shaolin warrior. I’ll drop you off at your dorm.”

“I’m going to walk,” Tenten insisted. She squinted through her blurry vision. “Why are you all orange?”

Neji smirked down at her, an eyebrow arched in amusement. “It’s the streetlights,” he explained. “And you’re not walking. You almost twisted your ankle just now, spinning around like that.”

“I did not,” Tenten protested. However, she _was_ very sleepy, and in the deep recesses of her mind, she knew it would be the smart thing to have Neji drop her off.

“Come on,” Neji said, taking her elbow again. This time, Tenten didn’t resist, letting Neji lead her to a black car. He opened the door to the backseat, and Tenten slid in, blinking slowly.

“Tenten, are you feeling alright?” Hinata asked from the front seat.

“Yep,” Tenten said, closing her eyes.

She heard the car door shut, and the engine turn on, but by the time they were pulling out of the parking lot, Tenten had slipped completely into tequila-induced slumber.

* * *

Tenten woke up dying of thirst. Slowly, she sat up and opened her eyes. Somehow, she was unsurprised to find herself in her dorm room, though Tenten couldn’t remember how she had gotten there. Her Shaolin uniform was rumpled from a night of sleeping, and Tenten untied the sash to her shirt, feeling warm. Carefully, Tenten stood and walked over to her mini-fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. She drank it in its entirety and reached for another when the night before hit her, though the edges of her memories were fuzzy.

Cup after cup of tequila. Wandering around Naruto’s house. Talking to Neji . . . and then making out with Neji in a tiny closet? And then . . . she’d asked him to _undress_!

“Oh my God,” Tenten whispered. The water bottle slipped from her fingers and rolled across her rug. Tenten launched herself back onto her bed, frantically searching for her phone. Her head spun with the sudden movement, and a small bit of bile rushed into her mouth. Tenten shuddered and finally grasped her phone.

It was dead.

With a grunt of frustration, Tenten yanked her charger cord out from behind her bed and plugged in her phone. By the time she’d run down the hall to the bathroom to pee and brush her teeth, her phone was charged enough for her to use it. With some trepidation, Tenten clicked on her messages.

**Sakura Haruno (10:30): ** _Damn, you and Hyuga looked SO guilty last night._

**Sakura Haruno (10:30): ** _Not that I blame you. He’s hot._

**Sakura Haruno (10:31): ** _Good kisser?_

**Sakura Haruno (10:31): ** _No, wait, don’t tell me. Don’t wanna know._

**Sakura Haruno (10:31): ** _I wish Ino were here. Then we could properly interrogate you._

**Hinata Hyuga (7:46): ** _Good morning, Tenten! I hope you slept well! When Neji and I dropped you off last night, you had fallen asleep in the car. We tried to wake you, but I think you were very tired. One of the girls living in your dorm let us in, and we carried you to your room, since we weren’t sure if you had your keys. I just wanted to let you know!_

**Ino (2:48): ** _SAKURA JUST TXTD ME THAT YOU AND NEJI FCKING HYUGA WERE IN A CLOSET. DNG WHT 10??????????_

“God, really, Sakura?” Tenten muttered. With her free hand, Tenten picked up the water bottle she’d dropped and guzzled it down. She had no texts from Neji—Tenten was unsure what that meant.

With a sigh, she tapped on his name, her thumb hovering over the call button. She pressed the message button instead, but stalled looking at the keyboard, unsure of what to say. _God, this is impossible._

Tenten sucked in a deep, courageous breath and hit the phone icon. She bit her lip as it rang, the anxiety in her stomach causing her hangover-induced nausea to surge.

“Hello?” answered Neji in his usual brusque tone.

Tenten felt her mortification double. “Hi,” she replied shakily. “It’s Tenten.”

“I know who this is,” Neji said briskly.

Tenten wiped her sweaty face with the back of her hand. “Great. Well, as you can imagine, I’m completely hungover. And I just wanted to say that whatever I did or said last night—”

“Are you too hungover to eat?” Neji interrupted.

Tenten pressed her eyes closed to assuage some of her dizziness. She replied, “I’m never too anything to not eat.”

“Do you want to go eat, then?”

Tenten rested her head on her pillow. “Now?”

“Yes. It’s after 11.”

Tenten winced. “Crap. I’m supposed to turn in a paper by five today.”

“It doesn’t have to be leisurely eating. It’s Sunday, so the cafeteria is closed, and I imagine you have almost nothing in your room.”

Tenten cast an eye around her room, lingering on the basket of chips she kept on top of the mini fridge. “That would be correct,” she said.

“Why don’t you meet me at that diner two blocks down from the stadium? In ten minutes?”

“Okay?” Tenten said slowly, confused.

Taking this as an answer, Neji hung up without another word. Tenten rolled to her feet, frowning as she got a whiff of her stench. She quickly grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants, snatching her shower caddy as she raced down to the communal bathroom. She only had time for a quick rinse, but she smelled less like sweat and tequila by the time she stepped outside.

When she finally reached the diner, she was eight minutes late and her headache had worsened. Neji had beaten her—he was sitting in a corner booth analyzing a large plastic menu. He looked distinctly athletic in a loose shirt, gym shorts, and running shoes. Tenten sat across from him, her eyebrows raised.

“Did you _run_ here?” she said, tone full of disdain.

“Yes,” Neji said, unfazed as he continued to review the breakfast options.

A waitress dropped by to set down a cup for Tenten, which she filled to the brim with black coffee. Gratefully, Tenten took a sip. She closed her eyes, holding the mug to her chest in appreciation.

After she’d drunk about half—in large gulps that resulted in Neji attempting to hide an obvious smile—she consulted her own menu, deciding on a breakfast sampler that featured an unhealthy level of meat.

They ordered, and when the waitress had refilled their coffee mugs and whisked their menus away, their eyes settled on each other.

“This isn’t a date,” Tenten blurted out, voicing the thought she’d been mulling over for the last twenty minutes.

Neji rolled his eyes. “Of course, it’s not. I’m performing a public service.”

“Well,” Tenten said slowly, scratching a fingernail against the Formica tabletop, “I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea . . . after last night.”

“And what idea would that be?” Neji posed, staring at her over the rim of his coffee cup.

Tenten shrugged, noncommittal. “That I liked you. Or something.”

Neji smirked, further stoking Tenten’s frustration that she was even having this conversation. “Do you think that would be so awful? I’m pretty great,” Neji said, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

“Listen, Hyuga. I was drunk, and you were around. If it wasn’t you, I can assure you it would have been someone else. Don’t go around thinking that you’re special.” Tenten was happy he didn’t bring up the _other_ thing.

Neji continued smirking, but he let it rest. Instead he questioned, “Why were you so wasted anyway?”

Tenten sighed. “I was celebrating the end of midterms. That statistics grade was nothing short of a miracle.”

Neji snorted unbecomingly. “You’d probably do much better if you stopped stressing out about it so often.”

Tenten widened her eyes. “Damn, what a thought. Have you discovered the holy grail of the college experience, Hyuga?” She dropped her awed tone and glared at him. “Your condescension is unnecessary.”

“I recall that you had a quiz last week—how did that go?”

Tenten shook her head. “I made a C. If I can’t start pulling Bs, I’m going to fail the class. And that’s going to set me back from graduating.” She cradled her face in her hands, her panic reemerging.

Neji drank from his mug, watching her. Finally, he said, “Why don’t we study together more?”

Tenten looked up, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “By that do you mean that you’ll do all of my homework and take my final for me?”

Neji rolled his eyes. “No. I mean that I’ll meet you after each of your statistics classes to review what the professor covered.”

“You can’t be serious.”

Neji raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

“Because . . . it’s a lost cause. You’ve already been tutoring me, and I haven’t improved by much.” Tenten paused, sighing into her coffee mug. “Do you think offering to give my professor a lap dance would go in my favor?” Tenten mused.

“You’re not hopeless at statistics. You’re just approaching it from the wrong angle.” At Tenten’s scoff, Neji added, “We just have to find the best way for you to understand it.”

“Maybe you’re the problem here. Do people _really _pay you money for tutoring?” Tenten asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. “It doesn’t seem like you deliver on the results.”

“Yes,” Neji answered, rolling his eyes.

Tenten sighed. “You run; you tutor. Is there anything you can’t do, Hyuga?”

Neji caught her eye, expression serious. “Yes.”

Tenten waited. The waitress came by and dropped off their food, and Tenten shoved two pieces of bacon in her mouth. After she walked away, Tenten looked pointedly at Neji.

“Well?” she said expectantly.

Neji leaned across the table, holding her gaze. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

Tenten glared at him. “Actually, you don’t need to tell me, you just proved to me yourself that you have zero comedic talent.”

“You thought I was funny last night.”

“I was drunk.”

“That’s not a viable excuse.”

“Fine.” Tenten challenged, munching on hashbrowns. “Tell me a joke.”

“Jokes told on command are never as funny as they are when told in the course of conversation,” Neji replied, cutting up his omelet.

Tenten smirked. “Did you memorize that from the joke book you read every night?”

“I don’t read it at night, I read it in the morning so it will stay fresh and I have a chance to use them in the course of my day.”

Their eyes met, and Tenten smiled despite herself, surprised. Neji chewed slowly, returning her gaze. The rest of their meal they ate in silence. When Tenten finally pushed away her plate, her breath reeking of bacon and her belly happily full, Neji eyed her. “Go get your statistics book.”

“No, it’s fine, Hyuga, I’ll figure something out.”

“Tenten,” Neji said calmly, “do I really need to remind you that I found you in a hallway earlier this semester on the verge of tears because you couldn’t understand what the professor was talking about?”

Tenten pursed her lips. “That was a moment of vulnerability that I, obviously, trusted you to never divulge again to my face.”

“Go get your damn book, Tenten.” The testiness of his tone made Tenten get to her feet, but she stood uncertainly next to the table, looking down at him.

“Listen, I know you want to help, and I’m . . . appreciative, but you really don’t have to. I was planning on offering the lap dance anyway. . .” she trailed off as Neji gazed up at her.

“I got a good grade in statistics, and you clearly need more help than what I have been doing. If you really want to place all your bets on the lap dance, then that’s your call.” And he turned his attention back to his coffee.

Tenten sighed and half-jogged, half-walked back to her dorm. She gathered her books into her bag, and after second-guessing, grabbed her laptop too so she could work on her paper if she ran out of time before five. When Tenten slipped in across from Neji once again, tossing her book on the table, Neji caught her eye and smiled the smallest of possible smiles. “That wasn’t so hard, was it, Tenten?”

* * *

Tenten had to give it to him—Neji clearly came alive when teaching. Not only was he exhaustibly thorough, drilling Tenten through dozens of formulas, he also went out of his way to painstakingly explain answers to every question Tenten had—which, let’s be honest, were countless and never-ending. It was nothing short of a lecture, only personalized for her.

By three in the afternoon, Tenten was nursing a milder hangover and statistics-induced headache. She was taking a break to type up her paper assignment that was due, while across from her, Neji was fiddling with his phone and sipping his fourth cup of coffee. As Tenten began her last paragraph, she asked, “How did you start tutoring? Or do you just pimp yourself out to any student looking like they’re having a panic attack?”

Neji released a small smirk. “Only the attractive ones. The others I just meet at the tutoring center.”

Tenten let the compliment pass, not believing its genuineness. “So? How’d that become a hobby?” she prompted, starting on her conclusion.

“I take summer classes, so I’m here year-round, for the most part. One of the students in my math class freshman year was struggling—they couldn’t seem to get differential equations. So, I started meeting with them outside of class, helping them through it. They frequented the tutoring center and recommended me to it, and the center offered me a job. It’s not a lot of money—but it’s enough to pay for diner food and gas.”

“Why am I not surprised that you took advanced math your freshman year?” Tenten mused aloud, shaking her head.

“Impressed?”

Tenten met his eye and made a face. “Pretentiousness is not impressive,” Tenten replied primly.

“I’m not pretentious.”

“You don’t think so?” Tenten posed rhetorically. She flipped her laptop around and presented it to Neji. “Will you proofread this, please?”

Wordlessly, Neji pulled it towards him and fell silent, his eyes flitting back and forth across the screen as he read. Tenten looked out the window as she waited for Neji to finish. After a few moments, she felt him push her laptop back across the table. She looked at him expectantly.

“That’s a good paper,” Neji murmured, studying her.

Tenten grinned, pleased with herself. “Thanks!”

“I can tell it’s a subject you really enjoy. What’s been the best class, since you changed your major?”

Tenten eagerly launched into a protracted monologue on ancient China and the Silk Road. Neji listened to her attentively, his eyes never wavering from her face. When she finished her reasoning, Tenten shrugged, a little embarrassed. “I think I have a bit of a crush on Chinese history, since that’s where I was born.”

“Did your parents immigrate?” Neji asked, seeming genuinely interested.

Tenten shook her head. “No, I’m adopted.” At Neji’s expression, Tenten explained slowly, “It’s not something a lot of people know, but I’m not shy about it. It’s just—I don’t like pity.”

“I’m the last person who would ever pity you,” Neji claimed.

Tenten’s mouth pulled into a smile. “Thanks, Hyuga. That means a lot,” she said. “Have you ever heard of those babies that get thrown in trash cans in China because their parents can’t take care of them, or don’t want them? I was one of those.”

True to his word, Neji did not look particularly sad, hearing this story. He remained expressionless; his gaze unwavering.

“My parents really wanted to adopt. So, when I was around two years old, they came to China and met me at the orphanage. And they obviously couldn’t resist my charming personality, so they adopted me.” Tenten shrugged, smiling softly.

“Do you remember living in China? At the orphanage?” Neji asked.

Tenten shook her head. “Nope. It was a long time ago. My first memory is of my brother accidentally busting my nose open when we were five.”

“That sounds like a story,” Neji said, smirking.

Tenten shrugged and glanced at her phone. “Shit, we’ve been here all day,” she stated.

Neji watched as Tenten began to pack up her things. Finally, he said, “Tomorrow.”

Tenten raised her eyebrows as she slid out of the booth. “Tomorrow what?” she prompted.

“Meet me here. Tomorrow.”

Tenten blinked at him. “Why?”

“For statistics,” Neji posed, getting to his feet. “We’ll study here tomorrow. I get sick of the library, and they have good coffee here.”

They sized each other up silently; Tenten’s lips pursed. “I was serious when I said I was going to offer my professor a lap dance,” she said.

Neji smiled. “Somehow, I don’t think that would work in your favor.”

Tenten shrugged and turned to walk towards the exit, Neji following behind her. “Well, don’t judge something before you see it, Hyuga.”


	4. on track

** _~ four – on track ~_ **

Over the next few weeks, Tenten and Neji kept to a strict study schedule at the diner. Neji would review countless statistical problems, pushing Tenten until she could recognize the appropriate formulas without more than a second’s pause.

One evening, right before Thanksgiving break, Tenten walked into the diner with a huge grin, carrying a shopping bag. Neji regarded her warily, eyes narrowed. Without a word, Tenten withdrew a paper from her bag and slapped it down onto the table in front of him, her finger tapping a big A, circled in red.

Neji smiled at her. “See? I knew you could do it.” He looked back at the paper, his expression shifting as he glanced up at her again. Slowly, he said, “There were no lap dances involved with this, right?”

Tenten beamed. “I don’t kiss and tell, Hyuga. But no, that test was manifested purely from my own intellectual power—and to a lesser extent, your tutoring skills.”

Neji scoffed, but his smile lingered. He gestured for her to sit down, but Tenten quickly shook her head. “Oh, there’s no way we’re studying tonight, Hyuga.”

Neji sent her a bemused look. “Why?”

Tenten patted her shopping bag mischievously. “I made an A on my statistics test. That calls for a celebration.”

Neji looked uncertain, but Tenten grasped his arm, pulling him out of the booth and onto his feet. “Come on,” she said.

They walked out of the diner and stood in the parking lot. Tenten looked around wistfully for a place to settle. “If you’re thinking about drinking outside, then I won’t be joining you,” Neji said, catching Tenten’s eye.

Tenten rolled her eyes. “No one would call the campus police on us,” she assured.

Neji firmly shook his head, but after a moment’s pause, he took hold of her arm, steering her west, back towards campus.

“If you think drinking in my dorm room will solve the police problem, you’ve got another thing coming,” Tenten said. “My RA is notorious for room checks. Last year, Ino and I were getting sloshed during midterms, and we got busted. That was _not_ a pleasant conversation.”

Neji smirked. “Serves you right, breaking the rules like that,” he said. “We’re not going to your dorm. We’re going to my house—it’s off campus, ergo, no campus police.”

Tenten brightened at this. “Excellent,” she said. She paused, then asked, frowning a little, “Wait, don’t you live miles away?”

“A mile and a half,” Neji corrected.

Tenten sighed laboriously. “I’m guessing you ran all the way over here again,” she mused aloud. “Why do you do that? You have a car.”

“I like running. I ran track in high school,” Neji said, shrugging.

“Definitely a private school sport,” Tenten declared, rolling her eyes. “I assume you also wore extremely preppy clothes, played lacrosse, and took Latin.”

“Two out of three,” Neji admitted.

“You don’t seem properly embarrassed about that statistic,” Tenten snorted. “I guess you liked high school then?”

Neji shrugged, noncommittal. “University has been more challenging,” he said. “More stimulating. More opportunities.”

“Said like a true genius. What was your SAT score?”

Neji winced and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Are you always this competitive?”

“I’m not being competitive, only curious,” Tenten maintained, shifting the shopping bag on her shoulder.

Neji reached out and eased it off, placing it on his own. He cursed. “How much alcohol did you buy?” he asked, glancing inside the bag.

“Just a few things,” Tenten answered primly, watching him. “The beer is for you. You seem like a lightweight.”

Neji snorted.

As they walked off campus and entered a residential neighborhood with townhomes, Tenten asked, “Do you live by yourself?”

Neji shook his head. “Hinata and I share it.”

“Is it weird living with a member of your family?” Tenten inquired, genuinely interested. “Seems like there wouldn’t be a lot of privacy.”

“No. We have our own schedules, so we don’t see each other often.”

“Are you close with your family?”

“Is this twenty questions?” Neji retorted, raising an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Tenten said. “I’m not nosy, just inquisitive.”

“That’s the same thing,” Neji replied.

Tenten opened her mouth to argue, but Neji interrupted her, pointing to a pale-yellow townhome with a small front porch. “That’s it,” he said.

“Wow, that’s cute,” Tenten said appreciatively. “Do you rent?”

Neji shook his head. “My uncle owns it.”

Tenten raised her eyebrows, and Neji glanced at her as he walked up to unlock the front door. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She paused, then said, “I mean, I _assumed _you were rich, what with the private education and all, but rent-free housing? That’s next-level.”

Neji sighed in annoyance as he let her in. “My uncle is rich, not me.”

“So, you’re a moocher?” Tenten asked, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light.

Neji touched her shoulder, brushing past her to enter a tiny but clean kitchen. He set the shopping bag on the counter and began to withdraw the bottles, eyeing them carefully. “Someone’s looking to get trashed,” he commented, looking over at Tenten, who was carefully cataloguing the living room. “It’s an A on one test, Tenten.”

“An A is an A,” she said firmly, padding over to join him in the kitchen. She reached for a squat bottle of tequila and cast her eye around the spartan kitchen, frowning. “Do you own a blender?”

Exhaling, Neji bent down and withdrew a blender from a cabinet. Tenten smiled and plugged it into the nearest outlet. She uncapped the tequila bottle and took a quick swig before pouring most of it into the blender. As she assembled her margarita, Neji leaned against the counter, watching her.

He quietly handed her a glass when she finished blending, and she smiled up at him, pouring the concoction to the brim. She took a sip and flinched, grinning. “Do you have any salt?”

Neji procured a box of salt and handed it over. Tenten happily wet the back of her hand and sprinkled on the salt. She sipped from her glass again, then licked off some salt from the back of her hand.

Neji raised his eyebrows, his expression unreadable. Tenten eyed him and slid a beer out of the six-pack she’d bought. “For you,” she said.

Neji took it and popped off the cap, holding Tenten’s gaze as he drank slowly. He made a face as he swallowed.

“You must not drink much,” Tenten said, sizing him up.

“You mean, do I celebrate every A on a paper? No, I don’t,” Neji said, taking another sip from his beer.

Tenten lifted herself to sit on the countertop, eyeing him. “You know what, Hyuga? You need to let loose more.”

“Is that not what I’m doing right now?” Neji posed.

“You are,” Tenten agreed. “But I mean in general. Life’s too short to walk around with a stick up your ass.”

Neji eyed her, then lifted his beer to his lips, chugging the rest of it down. Tenten grinned. “Now who’s being competitive?” she said, draining the rest of her margarita.

She reached for the blender, but Neji intercepted her, taking her glass and refilling it for her.

“Thanks. Want some?” she asked, expecting him to decline.

Instead, Neji reached for her glass and took a small sip, wincing. “Now, the salt,” Tenten said, holding out her hand.

For a second, Neji’s eyes flickered to Tenten’s lips, but then he submitted, gently taking her wrist. His mouth brushed her hand, his tongue sliding across her salty skin. He cringed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“That’s disgusting,” he said. “How much tequila did you put in?”

Tenten grinned playfully, setting a hand on his shoulder to keep him close. “Enough,” she whispered and kissed him.

Neji leaned into her, and Tenten smiled against his mouth, twining her arms around his neck. Unlike their impromptu make out in Naruto’s linen closet, this kiss was slow and steady. Tenten’s mouth felt raw from the salt, and she sighed softly as Neji’s lips sucked at hers, her hands winding into his hair. Tenten opened her legs and wrapped them around Neji’s waist, her heartbeat accelerating as his hands braced her ribcage.

Neji broke away first, breathing deeply. Not meeting Tenten’s eyes, he popped open another beer and drank evenly. Tenten yawned and hopped off the countertop, grabbing her glass and walking into the living room.

“Do you have cable?” she asked, picking up a TV remote.

“Yes,” Neji said, his tone slightly rough.

“Can I watch a show?” Tenten asked, taking a seat on the couch. She tucked her legs underneath her and looked up at Neji, who was staring at her openly. “What?”

Neji shook his head. “Do you do this often? Walk into people’s houses and make yourself at home?”

“No,” Tenten answered, resting her head on the back of the couch. “Is this not the correct protocol? I thought we were friends, Hyuga. What’s yours is mine or whatever.”

Neji smirked. Without another word, he walked over and sat down next to her with a sigh. He plucked the remote control from her hand and pressed an array of buttons. The television flared on. “What do you want to watch?” Neji asked.

“Just scroll through. I’ll find something,” Tenten said.

Obediently, Neji clicked through every channel twice before Tenten finally settled on one of those highly energetic shows that featured hyped-up athletes completing increasingly complicated obstacle courses within a certain time limit.

They watched in silence, drinking, as a chiseled brunette man face-planted into a pool of mud, falling several feet from a precipice of wires.

“My Dad and brother do stuff like this,” Tenten slurred. She blinked past the blurriness in her sight, blushing slightly at how sloppy she sounded.

“Really,” Neji said tonelessly.

“Yes. Well—not exactly like this. But they do tournaments and shit like this for a living,” Tenten replied, her heart clenching in her chest. She guzzled down the rest of her second glass and shakily rose to her feet. “Refill?”

Neji shook his head, holding his hand out to steady her. “Do you want to eat something?” Neji asked.

“Nah, I’m good.” Tenten stumbled into the coffee table, before rebounding, her steps unsure.

Neji watched her walk to the kitchen. “And you said I’m the lightweight,” he scoffed, getting to his feet. “I think we have leftovers.”

Tenten ignored him as he rummaged through the refrigerator, returning to the couch with her replenished glass. A moment or two later, Neji was shoving a bowl of reheated gyoza into her hands. Ignoring the chopsticks he’d included, Tenten ate with her fingers, eyes trained on the various contestants.

It had grown dark outside by the time the show ended. Tenten turned to Neji sleepily as he switched off the television. In the dark, Tenten reached out and placed her hand on the back of his neck. Neji tilted his head towards her, his mouth grazing her jaw.

“You’re very sexy,” Tenten murmured, placing drowsy open-mouthed kisses along Neji’s throat. When her tongue grazed his collarbone, Neji set his hands on her shoulders, easily pushing her away.

“I’ll drive you back to your dorm,” he said tightly, getting to his feet and switching on a lamp.

Tenten squinted in the sudden light, but got to her feet, tripping over her own feet. “What about my alcohol?” she asked.

“I’ll keep it safe for you,” Neji assured, one hand gripping her elbow as they walked out of the house. It was a chilly evening. Tenten shivered a little, and Neji walked her to his car, his arm around her shoulder.

“Watch your head,” he said, pushing her head down carefully as Tenten sat in the front seat. Tenten tried to keep her eyes open for the short drive, but almost as soon as she’d closed them, Neji was gently shaking her awake.

“We’re here. Do you need help getting in?”

Tenten snorted. “No.” She pushed the door open and immediately fell to her knees on the pavement. Tenten sighed, wincing.

She felt Neji’s arms lift her to her feet. His hand on her arm, Neji led her up the steps to her dorm. She glanced at him dazedly and was irritated to see he was chuckling.

“I’m in pain and you’re laughing,” she said, shocked.

Neji pushed opened her room dorm, wearing a wry smile. “You’re an even sloppier drunk than I anticipated.”

“I’m not sloppy,” Tenten replied, kicking off her shoes and vaulting onto her bed.

Neji hung in the doorway, looking at her. “Knees okay?” he asked.

“Yep. Goodbye,” Tenten said, and promptly rolled over, falling asleep instantly.

* * *

In the morning, Tenten was instantly awakened by her phone ringing. She flipped over onto her back, pulling her phone out from her jeans pocket. It was Rocky.

“Hello,” Tenten croaked, holding a hand to her spinning head.

“Good morning!” Rocky exclaimed loudly.

Tenten dropped her phone at the sudden volume; her cell phone landed on her face and Tenten let out a string of curses.

“Tennie?” Rocky asked.

Tenten sighed and reappeared, glaring at her brother. “Not so loud, please.”

Rocky’s bushy eyebrows rose a fraction. “Are you hungover?” he said, his tone disapproving.

“What gave you that idea?” Tenten replied, wincing at her dry mouth.

“You look like it,” Rocky said bluntly.

“That’s really uncalled for, Rock,” Tenten muttered, shutting her eyes tightly.

“So, you are hungover?” Rocky asked.

“Yes. Too much tequila,” exhaled Tenten.

Rocky shook his head sympathetically. “You should take care of yourself better, Tennie. Nurture your body.”

“I was celebrating,” Tenten defended, pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

Rocky’s face brightened. “Celebrating what!”

“I got an A on one of my statistics tests.” Rocky let out a loud whoop. Tenten closed her eyes and groaned. “Rock, seriously. The noise.”

“Sorry,” Rocky said.

“I took dad’s advice and got a tutor,” Tenten said.

“Good for you!” Rocky said, treating his sister to one of his winning smiles. “I called for a reason, actually.”

Tenten, eyes still closed, lifted her eyebrows. “Oh, yeah?”

“Dad and I want you to come for Thanksgiving.” Tenten opened her eyes and looked at her brother. Rocky returned her gaze, dark eyes serious. He continued, “It’s been a while, Ten. We already got a ticket reserved for you.”

Tenten sat up, her expression shifting immediately from sleepy and hungover to irritated. “Rock, I’m not coming to Singapore for Thanksgiving. I already told Dad that.”

“Why don’t you want to come? Don’t you want to see us?”

Tenten’s chest felt tight. She shook her head, running a hand through her dirty hair. “Of course, I want to see you,” she said, gritting her teeth.

“Then come! We can spend a few days touring Singapore, eating at the hawker centers! You’ll love it!”

Tenten pressed her lips together. “Rock, I’m not coming to Singapore. I’ve got to get ready for my finals in a couple of weeks.”

“You can study here just as well as there!” Rocky said.

“No, I can’t, Rocky.”

Rocky stared at her, crestfallen and confused. He was silent for a beat before saying, “I don’t understand.”

Tenten shrugged. “I have a lot on my plate this last year, Rock. I can’t—I can’t jet off to Singapore. I have papers, and statistics is still kicking my ass, and I have ASA stuff to plan for—”

“Tennie, it’s okay,” Rocky allayed. “I know you’re stressed this semester. Dad and I weren’t trying to make you feel guilty.”

Tenten sucked in a breath and slowly exhaled. “Thanks,” she said.

“What about Christmas break?” Rocky asked a moment later.

Tenten shook her head. “I need to make it through my finals first, Rock. I can’t think about anything else right now.”

Rocky immediately backed off at the tension in Tenten’s voice. “Don’t worry, Tennie. Dad and I will be wishing you well on your finals. Don’t be stressed.”

Tenten laid back down, sighing heavily. “Easier said than done.”

Tenten blinked as her phone vibrated with a text message. The notification at the top read: **Hyuga (8:17):** _How are your knees?_

“Well, drink some water and go back to sleep. I’m sorry I woke you up,” Rocky advised.

“I’ll call you when I wake up again, Rock. I promise.”

Rocky smiled, though it was sad. “Talk to you later, Tennie. Love you.”

Tenten smiled back and hung up, quickly tapping over her messages. _What are you doing for T-giving break?_ she typed swiftly.

A few seconds later: **Hyuga (8:19):** _Drinking with you?_

Tenten smiled widely. _Good answer_, she replied.


	5. a very college thanksgiving

** _~ five – a very college thanksgiving ~_ **

As students slowly trickled off campus, sleepy-eyed with overnight bags, Tenten began to wonder if staying for Thanksgiving had been a good idea after all. It had been a holiday she, Rocky, and their parents had loved celebrating. They would eat all day, stuffing themselves to bursting, then go Black Friday shopping until the wee hours of the morning. But after Tenten’s mom passed away, things had changed quickly. That first year had been unspeakable, though their father had tried to make it normal. As time passed, with Tenten firmly at university and her father and Rocky traveling the world practicing Shaolin, the holidays became easier and easier to circumvent entirely.

* * *

“We need provisions,” Tenten said when Neji opened his front door.

Neji looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

Tenten stared at him, then brushed this off, scoffing. “I’m going to ignore that ridiculous question. Let’s go!”

“Neji, who’s at the door?” called a voice from inside the house. A moment later, Hinata appeared at Neji’s side, her eyes wide. “Oh, Tenten. Hello.” Hinata smiled graciously.

“I have to go buy provisions, apparently,” Neji said, smirking. “Are we expecting the apocalypse? Do I need to bring a flashlight?”

“God, you’re so fucking annoying,” Tenten muttered, crossing her arms. “Thanksgiving is in two days!”

“Oh, that,” Neji said, rolling his eyes.

Hinata watched this exchange with interest, her eyes flickering back and forth between her cousin and Tenten. A small, neutral smile rested on her mouth.

“Let me get my keys,” Neji said to Tenten, disappearing back into the house.

Tenten watched him go, feeling somewhat tense. Clearing her throat, she said, “Hinata, I never got to tell you that your outfit for Halloween was amazing.”

Hinata smiled gently. “Thank you very much,” she replied.

There was a weighty pause as Tenten tried to think of something else to say, but then Neji reappeared, stepping out onto the porch. “We’ll be back in a while,” he said over his shoulder, walking to his car.

Tenten waved at Hinata awkwardly, then bounded after Neji. “You told your cousin we’ve been hanging out, didn’t you?” Tenten hissed at him.

Neji shot her a bemused look across the car. He answered once Tenten was inside, buckling in, “I told her I was tutoring you.”

“Why did you even need to mention it?”

Neji’s bemusement grew before his smirk re-emerged at the corner of his mouth. “Is this about your ego again?”

“I don’t have an ego!” Tenten snapped. “I do, however, like my business to remain private.”

“So do I,” Neji said smoothly, reversing the car out of the driveway. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone that you can’t keep your hands off me.”

Tenten glared at him, her face flushing crimson. “I had tequila in my system,” she defended.

“Doesn’t make it less true,” Neji replied, smirking at her. Tenten’s blood pressure spiked, and she inhaled deeply.

Their drive to the grocery store was silent, but once Tenten directed Neji to grab a shopping cart, a plan had sprung to her mind. “First, starches,” Tenten said, pointing Neji to an aisle. He easily directed the cart to the aisle Tenten had picked, glancing at her.

“I’m quickly getting the impression that Thanksgiving is a big deal for you,” Neji said.

Tenten shrugged, comparing boxes of instant mashed potatoes. “It’s not for you?”

“Not in the slightest. My family is very . . . traditional.”

Tenten shot him a confused look. “Thanksgiving is traditional,” she deadpanned.

“Not for a conventional Japanese family like my own,” Neji responded. “Japanese Thanksgiving is more like Labor Day here.”

“That sounds . . . not fun. Who wants to celebrate work?” Tenten mused aloud, tossing a box of potatoes and macaroni and cheese into the cart.

“It’s not a celebration of work. It’s about thanking those that are good at their jobs,” Neji said, picking out the macaroni and cheese and reading the label.

“I can’t believe you’ve never celebrated Thanksgiving,” Tenten said, gesturing for Neji to follow her further down the aisle.

Neji shrugged, wheeling the cart up next to her. “Can’t miss what you never had,” he said.

“Well, I will do my best to make sure this is the best real Thanksgiving you ever have.”

Neji peered at her, his mouth quirking. “Your family must really enjoy this holiday.”

“They do,” Tenten replied, her hands lingering on some cans of corn. “We used to go big every year. Spend days eating leftovers, Black Friday shopping. It was great.”

“Why aren’t you spending it with them this year?” Neji asked, shaking his head when Tenten held up canned cranberry sauce.

“They’re still in Singapore. Plane tickets are expensive,” Tenten said shortly, shrugging. “Let’s go scout out a turkey.” She started making her way towards the meat department.

When they arrived in front of the arrayed plastic-wrapped birds, awaiting their new owners in a refrigerated case, Tenten tapped a finger to her chin, trying to decide. As Tenten picked one up, cradling it in her arms, Neji said, “You can’t be serious.”

“What?” Tenten said, analyzing the turkey suspiciously.

“We’re not getting a whole turkey,” Neji said, staring at her.

“Why not? The turkey is what Thanksgiving is all about.”

Neji stared at her, dumbstruck. “Tenten, we’re two people,” Neji said slowly.

“So? It will last us all weekend.”

“There’s no way we’ll finish a whole turkey by ourselves in one weekend,” Neji maintained adamantly.

Tenten set a hand on her hip, glancing up at him. “Hyuga, I don’t think you understand. Thanksgiving is about feasting and abundance. It’s not Thanksgiving without turkey,” she explained sternly.

Wordlessly, Neji cast a quick eye around him, then withdrew a package of sliced turkey from a cooler shelf behind him. He held it up then dropped it into the cart. “Done,” he said.

Tenten opened her mouth to argue her point further, but Neji pushed the cart away, heading down the bread aisle.

“You’re killing me with this, Hyuga. Turkey sandwiches? Really?”

“Don’t complain—I make amazing turkey sandwiches,” Neji said, consulting the bread.

Grumpily, Tenten pulled a loaf off the shelf and carelessly tossed it into the cart. “Come on,” she said, pulling the cart behind her.

They walked to the alcohol section, and Neji raised his eyebrows at her. “Seriously? Do you know how much alcohol you left at my house?”

“We aren’t doing tequila shots on Thanksgiving,” Tenten answered. “God, Hyuga, have some class.” She meandered over to the wines, analyzing a section of reds.

She felt Neji come up behind her. His arm brushed hers as he pointed out a bottle. “That one,” he advised.

Tenten slid two bottles out of their places and held them, glancing around. “Should we get a white?” she mused.

“No,” Neji said, moving towards the cash registers.

“I’m not done! We need pie,” she said, parting from him to walk towards the bakery. She heard him sigh audibly. She spun on her heel to address him waspishly, “You deny me turkey, but I will not be denied pie.”

She turned away just as Neji began to smirk at her, his eyes playful. Her hands full, Tenten nodded at a pre-prepared pumpkin pie, sealed tight for freshness. “Okay, now we’re done,” Tenten announced, leading the way to the cash registers.

Together, they laid out their haphazard Thanksgiving meal on the scanner belt and waited their turn at the cash register. Tenten turned to view the magazines, like she always did, but quickly lost interest, shifting her attention to the candy. She immediately reached out and grabbed two nutty chocolate bars—her father and Rocky’s favorite—and one dark chocolate bar for herself. Tenten looked up when she felt Neji’s eyes on her, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Sorry,” she said, putting them back on the displays.

Neji shook his head. “Get them,” he said, moving past her to pay.

“Hyuga, I’ll pay. This was my idea.”

Neji waved her off, already standing at the register. When Tenten hesitated to pick up the candy, Neji rolled his eyes and selected her previous choices, tossing them on top of their other purchases.

“Thank you,” she muttered as they loaded his car a few moments later.

Neji shook his head, dismissing it. “Let’s go,” he said.

As they drove back to Neji’s house, Tenten asked, “Will Hinata be joining us for this very college Thanksgiving?”

“No, we’re all going to my uncle’s house Thanksgiving evening for dinner. It’s required,” Neji said.

“Ah,” Tenten said. “Fun.”

“It won’t be, but it’s mandatory, all the same.” After a pause, Neji glanced at her and asked carefully, “Do you want to come?”

“Not a chance,” Tenten answered. “I would rather eat turkey sandwiches for the rest of my life than spend time celebrating a pseudo Thanksgiving with your family.”

Neji said nothing, but when Tenten looked at him out of the corner of her eye, she was pleased to see he was smiling.

* * *

When they walked in loaded down with their Thanksgiving purchases, Hinata rose from her position on the couch to help, her eyes wide. “This is quite a spread,” she commented, pulling out the contents to place in the refrigerator.

Tenten did not miss the look Hinata sent to Neji, though she wasn’t sure what it meant. Neji ignored her, setting the bottles of wine out on the counter. Tenten watched Hinata’s eyes linger on them, before flitting away, her expression reserved.

The groceries put away, Tenten and Neji settled on the couch to resume their viewing of the obstacle course show—the network was showing a weekend-long marathon. Hinata joined them, perching on the edge of the couch, silently watching with them.

Seeing Hinata’s bemused expression, Tenten began to explain the tenets of the show. “The point is to be the quickest participant,” she said.

“I don’t agree,” Neji interjected. “Wouldn’t you say the point is to devise the best strategy to complete the course?”

Tenten scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. “You _would_ say that.”

Hinata looked between them, watching as a slow smile spread across Neji’s mouth. She watched with them quietly for another half hour, enduring Tenten’s exclamations and Neji’s straightforward commentary, when she finally got to her feet. “I’ll see you both later,” she said, walking towards the front door.

Neji looked after her curiously, an eyebrow raised. “Where are you going?” he asked.

Hinata held up her phone. “Hanabi and I are going to a movie.”

Neji looked suspicious but said nothing. Tenten and Hinata waved at each other as the younger girl stepped out of the house. As they listened to the car start in the driveway, Tenten turned to Neji, eyes gleaming mischievously. “What do you want to bet she’s meeting Naruto?”

Neji glared. “That’s not funny.”

Tenten smirked and sank deeper into the couch, making herself more comfortable.

* * *

On Thanksgiving morning, Tenten arrived at the yellow townhome early, a thermos of coffee in hand. She knocked loudly on the door and sipped her coffee. Not a moment later, the door swung open, revealing Neji in his tennis shoes and gym shorts. Tenten dragged her gaze from his bare chest to his eyes. She ignored the ever-present smirk on his mouth.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked.

“Running. Do you want to come?”

“Hyuga,” Tenten began patiently, “today is a national holiday. It’s abnormal to work out on a holiday.”

“Considering the vast amount of wine we’re planning to drink today, it would be wise of me to run this morning.”

“You can skip it for one day, can’t you?” Tenten asked, her tone pleading.

Neji leaned against the door frame, considering her. “What will you give me in exchange?” he asked carefully.

Tenten snorted. “My company,” she retorted.

“But I have that already,” Neji countered.

Tenten raised her eyebrows. “Not for long, if you keep pushing your luck.”

Neji mulled this over, before finally reaching out and wresting Tenten’s thermos from her hands. “I’ll take this, then,” he said, holding her gaze as he drank.

Tenten pursed her lips. “I just made that,” she muttered, pushing past him into the living room.

“Thank you. It was very generous of you to bring it all the way here for me,” Neji said as he sat down next to her on the couch.

Tenten grumbled, reaching for the television remote. She turned it on and flipped through channels until she found what she was looking for: the Thanksgiving Day parade. She twisted to view Neji. “I know this is your first time, doing something like this,” she began seriously. “But I’m here to be your guide in all things Thanksgiving. Now—this is an iconic parade; it happens every year—rain, snow, or sunshine. It is not Thanksgiving if we don’t view every second of this parade.”

Neji sipped her coffee, regarding her with an expression that clearly stated he thought she was crazy. “Your fanaticism is alarming.”

Tenten refused to answer, noting the condescension in his tone. She tucked her legs underneath her and settled in.

Hinata joined them around a half hour later. After watching about an hour of the coverage, she turned to Neji and said, “Neji, are you going to drive separately to father’s?”

Neji met his cousin’s eyes and said, “Yes.”

Hinata smiled at Tenten and went off to get dressed. She returned later looking stylishly comfortable in a skirt and sweater. “See you later,” she said cheerily and left.

* * *

Around eleven, Tenten’s stomach growled loudly enough for Neji to look over at her. Reaching a silent agreement, they both got up and went to the kitchen, pulling out their previously bought groceries. As Tenten set water to boil for the instant potatoes and macaroni, Neji began assembling turkey sandwiches. They worked in silence, stealing glances at the other’s progress.

Once the food was ready, Tenten pulled out the wine, and Neji retrieved two glasses, taking the bottle from her hands to open it. He filled them both generously and handed Tenten one, sliding over to her a turkey sandwich on a paper plate.

Tenten took a bite of the sandwich, holding Neji’s gaze as she chewed.

“Well?” Neji prompted, taking a sip from his wine glass.

Tenten swallowed and said, shrugging, “It’s a passable sandwich. I’ll accept it in lieu of a whole turkey.”

Neji smiled and ate a spoonful of mashed potatoes. He winced. Tenten shook her head and reached over to liberally add salt, pepper, and butter to Neji’s mashed potatoes. “I feel like I’m taking care of a toddler,” Tenten muttered under her breath. “What time do you have to leave for your uncle’s?”

Neji shrugged, noncommittal as he drained the rest of his wine glass. He reached for the bottle and refilled his glass, topping off Tenten’s.

They finished eating and retired to the couch, heavy-lidded from the carbs and the wine. Around two in the afternoon, Tenten drifted off, her legs curled underneath her, her head laying on the armrest of the couch.

* * *

She didn’t know what time it was when she woke up, but Neji was gone from the couch. Sitting up and stretching, Tenten searched for her phone. It was five-thirty.

“Neji?” she called out into the house.

A second later, he appeared from the back hallway, his phone pressed to his ear. His expression looked tense. Someone on the other end spoke and Neji replied in Japanese, holding Tenten’s gaze. She made a motion, asking if she should leave, but Neji adamantly shook his head.

The rest of his conversation was short, with Neji responding steadily in Japanese. Tenten couldn’t tell if his tone was angry or apologetic, but from his features, she knew he was annoyed.

After a hurried goodbye, Neji hung up and sighed, walking over to join her.

“Who was that?” she asked indifferently.

“My uncle, asking me why I wasn’t currently sitting at his dining table.”

“Oh, shit,” Tenten said, turning to Neji with wide eyes. “You’re in big trouble, aren’t you?”

Neji shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. Do you want to watch that obstacle show again?”

“You’re not going to go?” Tenten asked, ignoring his question.

“I think I drank too much,” Neji said, reaching for the remote. “And he lives an hour from here. By the time I got there, dinner would be over.”

Tenten considered this, wrapping her arms around her legs. She cocked her head at Neji, a small smile spreading across her mouth. “Hyuga, did you fall asleep on purpose so you wouldn’t have to go?”

Neji avoided her probing gaze. “Do you want more wine?” he asked, eyes searching the TV menu.

Tenten’s mouth pursed. “Yes.”

* * *

“God, did you see that guy? If he had waited two seconds before jumping, he would have had it,” Tenten exclaimed a few hours later, shaking her head in disgust. She sighed and sipped her glass of wine, settling back next to Neji on the couch.

“He approached that wall from the wrong angle,” Neji agreed, leaning his head against hers.

They were still watching the obstacle course program, deciding to stick religiously to the marathon schedule. Neji and Tenten had become so familiar with the show’s elements, they could predict the success of contestants based completely on their introductory packages. Hinata had not yet returned from their family dinner.

“I told you he was going to be a dud,” Neji said, chugging the rest of his wine down. “You owe me.”

Tenten rolled her eyes and walked over to the kitchen, bringing back the tequila bottle. Neji poured about an inch of the tequila into the bottom of his now empty glass.

“Bottoms up,” he said as he handed the glass to Tenten.

She held his gaze as she downed the shot in one go, setting the glass down hard on the table, wincing. “God, that’s awful with the wine aftertaste.”

“Don’t bet against me,” Neji advised, pulling her back into the couch. His arm rested casually over her shoulders, and Tenten shifted closer to him, getting comfortable.

They watched in silence until commercials began to roll. “You said the other day your brother and dad do things like this,” Neji started. “What do they do exactly?”

Tenten sighed, sipping her wine. “They’re internationally ranked Shaolin martial artists. They travel around and train at different temples, do tournaments. Stuff like that.” Tenten felt Neji look at her, and she turned her head to meet his eyes.

“You’re joking,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

“Nope. Do you remember Halloween? That was my uniform, when I still trained.”

Neji looked dumbfounded and shook his head. Tenten smiled wickedly. “Did I just become more intimidating?”

“There’s no way I could be more intimidated by you than I am right now,” Neji replied flatly.

Tenten poked him in the chest. “Watch it, Hyuga. I could destroy you.”

Neji sighed, pushing her hand away. “Your bravado is tiring,” he muttered, leaning back into the couch to close his eyes.

“Whatever,” Tenten said, clutching her wine glass. “You like it.”

Neji looked at her, his eyes flashing. “You don’t know what I like,” he responded firmly. He reached out, his fingers resting on the back of Tenten’s neck. She turned to him, blinking slowly. Gently, Neji took her wine glass from her hand and set it on the coffee table. He pulled her towards him and pressed his lips to her neck. Tenten’s eyelids drifted closed, and she breathed deeply. With the wine in her system, every movement and touch seemed slower, unhurried. She laid back on the couch, wrapping her legs around Neji as he hovered over her. She felt Neji’s tongue brush her earlobe and she shivered, her fingers finding the edge of his shirt. She dipped her fingertips past the waistband of his jeans and sighed, spreading her hands up and across his shoulder blades.

Her mouth found his and he tasted deliciously bittersweet—like the wine they had been drinking, but deeper, edged with something more intriguing. Tenten sat up and pushed Neji back, straddling him as she leaned over him. His hands grazed her thighs, then crept up her back and neck before getting lost in her hair.

A sound made Tenten jolt upright, and she quickly scrambled to the far end of the couch. Neji sat up slowly, his breathing heavy. A moment later, Hinata opened the front door, politely smiling in their direction as she entered.

“Did you guys have a nice Thanksgiving?” she asked, going to the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of water. “Neji, everyone missed you at dinner. Father went on and on about it.”

Neji grimaced but didn’t respond. Tenten cleared her throat and said, “We wasted hours watching television, so it was productive in my opinion—right, Neji?”

Neji nodded, refusing to meet Tenten or Hinata’s eyes. Hinata hummed pleasantly, busying herself by washing the dishes Tenten and Neji had left in the kitchen. Feeling bad, Tenten jumped to her feet to help, ignoring Hinata’s attempts to shoo her away.

“It’s fine,” she told Hinata as she set to rinsing forks.

“I’ll dry,” Hinata offered, grabbing a towel.

Entering a companionable silence, Tenten washed the dishes, her hands sudsy as she handed Hinata clean plates and glasses. “There’s some leftover turkey in the refrigerator if you’re hungry,” Tenten said after a few moments. “Neji told me that you guys don’t really have a traditional Thanksgiving.”

Hinata inclined her head, smiling. “Yes. My father and grandparents are a little old-fashioned. But I’m not hungry, thank you.”

Feeling slightly more at ease, Tenten boldly asked, “So, have you talked to Naruto lately?”

Tenten didn’t miss the deep blush that appeared on Hinata’s cheeks. “He wished me a happy Thanksgiving today.”

“That was nice of him,” Tenten said confidentially, aware that Neji was in the next room. “Has he asked you out yet?”

Hinata’s face turned a dark crimson. She whispered, “I think he’s scared to. Because of Neji.”

Tenten nodded in understanding. Conspiratorially, she leaned closer to Hinata and said, “Why don’t you ask him out? Let him know you’re interested?”

Hinata quickly shook her head. “Oh, I don’t think I could do that.”

“Why not? You like him, he likes you. It’s okay to take the first step sometimes.”

Hinata blanched. “No, I’d be too nervous!” She thoughtfully dried a wine glass, looking at the brunette questioningly. In a small voice, she finally said, “What if we all went together?”

Tenten pushed her bangs out of her eyes, distracted. “Who?”

“Me, you, Neji, and Naruto. Neji would never let me go by myself, and you could help me show him that Naruto is really great.”

Tenten pursed her lips. “This sounds like a double date.”

“Well,” Hinata said, shrugging, “if you want to look at it that way. Please, Tenten? You’re the only person Neji will listen to.”

Tenten’s mouth pulled into a grimace. “I don’t think that’s true,” she brushed off. She glanced to the younger girl and broke at the hopeful gleam in her pale eyes. Tenten sighed. “Okay, sure. If you and Naruto can get over your nerves and ask each other out, then we can work something out.”

Hinata suddenly embraced Tenten, crushing her with a surprising amount of strength. “Thank you!” Hinata said breathlessly.

Tenten patted her arm, mildly amused. The dishes finished, Hinata announced she was tired. With a soft goodnight, she went back to her room and closed the door. Looking across to her from the living room, Neji raised an eyebrow at her. “I really hope you weren’t giving her dating advice,” was all he said.


	6. seasonal attraction

** _~ six – seasonal attraction ~_ **

“Tennie, how was your Thanksgiving?”

Tenten pulled her scarf tighter around her neck as she walked to her next class. She had texted her brother and father on Thanksgiving Day but hadn’t been able to get ahold of them until the following week. Rocky was dressed in his usual cutoff shirt, his face shining with sweat as he exercised on a bike machine.

“Fine,” Tenten answered, pushing away her jealousy of Singapore’s climate. “It started snowing last night.” She cast a quick eye over the frosty grounds.

“Dad and I ran around the hawker centers eating all day. It was delicious! We missed you though,” Rocky said, his skin wrinkling with disappointment. “Did you do anything fun?”

Tenten tried not to smile as she recalled the memories of drinking wine and making out with Neji. “I did what we always do—I watched the parade, ate food, took a nap. The usual.”

Rocky smiled. “Next year, we’ll spend it together. You won’t have finals to study for then!”

Tenten grinned back. “If I can survive these next two weeks, then next semester should be a lot easier,” she said. “I have my senior thesis, but it’s supposed to take me all semester.”

“Have you decided on your topic yet?”

Tenten shook her head. “No, I’ll discuss it with my advisor in January.”

“Tennie, Dad and I are so proud of you,” Rocky said, moving from his bicycle to a treadmill. “We can’t wait for graduation!”

Tenten smiled. “Me either. Hey Rock, I’m going into my next class, so I’ll talk to you later, alright?”

Rocky said a cheerful goodbye, and Tenten ducked into the building, wincing from the transition of the winter chill to heat. She was walking slowly to her classroom, unwinding her scarf, when she noticed a familiar face.

“Stalking me?” she prompted, sidling up next to him.

Neji rolled his eyes. “Don’t act cute,” he responded sternly. “Hinata told me what you did.”

Tenten’s expression grew puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“You told her that we would go on a double date with her and Naruto,” Neji said, glaring down at her.

Tenten winced. “I did _not_ say it would be a double date,” she said. “I merely _suggested_ that she should take a chance and ask Naruto out.”

“Well, great job, matchmaker. I hope you don’t have plans for Saturday.”

“I’m not going on a date with you,” Tenten replied shortly, eyes narrowed.

Neji raised his eyebrows. “You don’t have a choice. Hinata said we’re both going.”

Tenten shook her head. “She misunderstood me,” Tenten began. “That’s not what I agreed to. I said something could be worked out—not that _I_ would go!”

Neji shrugged unsympathetically. “I’m glad we’ll be suffering together.”

Tenten scowled up at him, turning on her heel to enter her classroom.

* * *

Saturday filled up for Tenten quickly. Not only was she to oversee their final freshmen workshop for the semester, the ASA also was hosting their last speaker of fall term that evening. And of course, there was attending Hinata and Naruto’s first date.

Bright and early Saturday morning, Tenten braved the cold weather as she walked across campus to the empty classroom where they were holding their workshop. Sleepily, she pushed open the door and was pleased to see most of the freshmen had showed up, despite the seductive draw of staying in. Tenten breezily sat next to them and started the conversation, reaching for her notebook.

The freshmen were in good spirits, even with finals looming. They jabbered away about their Thanksgiving holidays and their Christmas plans, all joking that they wished they could stay at college for the three-week break until next semester, not wanting to go home and deal with parents and siblings. Tenten smiled at all of them, and they concluded their workshop with some helpful study tools for finals and a group photo.

As she was leaving to go get some lunch, she ran into Neji, who looked harried.

“Let’s go,” he said to her without preamble, grasping her elbow and pulling her along.

“Go where?” Tenten demanded, swatting at his hand. “I was gonna go eat—”

“Did you forget?” Neji asked, looking down at her. “We have to chaperone Naruto and Hinata.”

Tenten rolled her eyes. “Neji, seriously—”

Neji stopped in his tracks and stared at her fiercely. “You are the one who put this idea in her head. They’re going out, and I’m not letting them go by themselves. And if I have to go, you have to go, since you created this problem.”

Tenten glared. “It’s not a _problem_. They’re going on a date. Dammit, Neji, let Hinata have some fun for once.”

“She can have fun,” Neji responded crisply, putting his hand on Tenten’s shoulder to steer her out the door. “But not with Uzumaki.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Tenten snapped, wrenching herself out of Neji’s grip. Her feet slid on the icy walk outside, and her arms wheeled, trying to keep her balance. Neji seized her sleeve and pulled her to him. Tenten quickly wrapped her arms around him, her heart beating fast at the adrenaline from almost busting her ass on the icy sidewalk.

Neji met her eyes and slowly released her, an eyebrow quirked. “I just saved your life,” he said, smirking.

Tenten sighed, exasperated. “You saved my ass from a bruising, you mean,” she snapped. She whirled away, but Neji slipped his hand into hers, holding it fast as they walked out to the parking lot.

“Where are we going anyway?” Tenten asked grumpily, getting into the front seat of Neji’s car.

“Ice skating.”

Tenten leaned her head against the window. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

* * *

Hinata Hyuga—to her credit—was completely enchanted by Naruto’s idea. She had once dreamed of being a professional ice skater, but after she’d turned ten or so, her father had declined to let her continue lessons, stating school was much more important than a childhood fantasy.

Neji and Tenten, were not as amused by Naruto’s thoughtfulness. The rink was crowded—filled with parents and their tiny, wailing little ones, as well as couples. Sulkily, Tenten and Neji stood next to each other leaning against the rink’s wall, watching as Naruto tried to twirl Hinata through the skaters.

“This is nauseating,” Neji commented.

“It’s sweet—in its own way,” Tenten replied. “Why do you dislike him so much anyway?”

“He’s a joke,” Neji said flatly.

“Oh, so this is about him being funnier than you are?” Tenten prompted, smirking. “Jealousy is not a good look on you, Hyuga.”

“I mean that he doesn’t have a plan for his life,” Neji responded, jaw clenched.

Tenten patted Neji’s shoulder sympathetically. “And? I don’t either.”

“Yes, you do,” Neji said, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah? Want to enlighten me?”

Neji turned to look at her. “Of course, you have a plan. You’re not the type of person who does something without putting thought into it. That’s why you changed your major in the middle of your junior year, and why you spent all last year fundraising to get my spot on the ASA. You have goals; Uzumaki doesn’t.”

Tenten chewed on the edge of her thumbnail, glancing at Neji out of the corner of her eye. “You don’t know that,” she finally said. “Maybe he has goals, but you don’t approve of them.”

“He wants to graduate and launch a start-up he’s been working on with Shikamaru and some of his other friends. Does that sound like a success story to you?”

“So judgmental,” Tenten shamed. “It could be a success. You don’t know.”

Neji crossed his arms, unconvinced. “It’s not that I dislike him as a person,” Neji said after a moment, watching Hinata skate circles around Naruto. “But I know my family, and I know what they expect. I’m being a voice of reason before Hinata gets an idea in her head to bring Naruto around my uncle.”

“Why does it have to be so serious?” Tenten asked, wrinkling her nose. “She’s twenty-one. She should get to have a boyfriend if she wants one.”

Neji shook his head. “I told you—my family is very traditional. If Hinata starts dating someone, my uncle will assume she’ll want to marry him. And there’s no way he would let Hinata marry Naruto.”

“Your family sounds crazy,” Tenten muttered.

“They are,” Neji agreed.

On the rink, Hinata looped her arm through Naruto’s, smiling sweetly as she guided him easily on the ice. Tenten sighed as she watched them, leaning her head against Neji’s arm. She blinked tiredly.

“What would your family say? If you were dating someone?” Neji asked her a moment later.

Tenten chuckled. “They’d probably be overjoyed and incredibly annoying. Which is why I probably wouldn’t tell them.”

“You wouldn’t want them to know you’re happy?” Neji murmured.

“You don’t understand,” Tenten said, straightening to look at him. “When I got my period for the first time, my dad announced it to the school lunchroom when he had to come and bring me a change of clothes. And then my brother stood up and started clapping. And then there was prom, in high school, and my father literally began doing ‘practice’ martial arts moves with my date. You know what happened to him? We had to drive him to the hospital that night because my father was a little too enthusiastic and sprained my date’s elbow. Completely missed prom.”

Neji was smiling. “I would pay money to have been present that night.”

Tenten shoved him. “God, you’re such a fucking jerk. It was mortifying.”

Still smirking, Neji checked his watch. “We should go soon, to get the speaker event ready.” He raised his hand to get Hinata’s attention, but Tenten tugged it back down.

“Give them a few more minutes,” she said, watching as Naruto succeeded in twirling Hinata underneath his arm. Hinata was chuckling, delight written all over her face.

* * *

Jiraiya Gama was an imposing man in person. He towered above the college students, his long shock of white hair shaggy underneath his cap. When he arrived in the auditorium, Tenten watched as most of the gathered students swiveled to look at him, their mouths whispering, “That’s him!”

Tenten was stuck at the back, accepting tickets from students. Every now and again, as there was a lull, she would poke her head into the auditorium to see how things were going. Earlier, they had had some issues with the tech equipment. Tenten had been tasked with tracking down one of the AV staff, but by the time they’d returned to the auditorium, Shikamaru had somehow fixed it. Shooting her a glare, the AV guy had walked off in a huff.

Tenten watched from the back of the auditorium as Neji and Miss Kato got up to shake the speaker’s hand. Naruto appeared, and Jiraiya Gama put him in an affectionate headlock. Tenten smirked at Neji’s strained expression.

When seven rolled around, Tenten shut the auditorium doors and leaned against them, watching as Neji took the stage to introduce Jiraiya.

He began, “There are few in the field of relational psychology that have written more extensively on the subject of maintaining romantic relationships than Mr. Gama. We were honored he was able to come and speak to us today. Please give him your full attention. We will hold a question and answer session afterwards, so be prepared with your questions. Mr. Gama?”

Jiraiya Gama came up on stage and Neji passed him the microphone. Neji walked down from the stage and started making his way to his seat. Tenten watched as he noticed her, standing at the back by the door, and felt a sharp thrill as he passed his row and continued walking towards her.

Tenten quietly opened the door behind her and slipped out of the auditorium, Neji following at her heels.

“How was my introduction?” Neji asked her, barely above a whisper. “Pompous enough for you?”

Tenten said nothing as she grasped his shirt, pulling him to her. She kissed him fiercely, smiling as Neji’s hands slid up to rest on the curve of her hips.

He laughed against her mouth in surprise, and kissed her back, squeezing her lightly. Tenten tugged on his lower lip, and Neji sighed, leaning back just enough so he could see her.

“I was beginning to wonder if you only found me attractive when you were drunk,” he muttered.

Tenten rolled her eyes. “You _are_ significantly more attractive when I’m drunk,” she replied, sliding one hand underneath his shirt to touch his skin.

Neji pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Tenten pressed her lips to Neji’s throat, drawing her fingers up and down his chest. She felt him swallow, and Tenten grinned.

Down the hall, a door slammed loudly and Tenten took a step back, analyzing him.

“I should go back inside,” Neji said in a tone that denoted he wanted to do the exact opposite.

Tenten grinned wickedly. “Let me get the door for you, Hyuga,” she murmured, quietly opening the door for Neji to pass through.

She retook her place by the back row and watched Neji return to his seat, leaning over to hear something Sakura had to tell him. Tenten struggled to keep her eyes off him for the entire talk.

* * *

As the question portion of the event ended and students and guests began to filter out of the auditorium, Tenten finished stacking up her pamphlets and glanced around the room. Sakura and Shikamaru were counting tickets, and Miss Kato and Neji were speaking with Mr. Gama. Tenten placed everything in her bag and lingered by the door, trying to catch Neji’s eye.

When he finally looked at her a moment later, Tenten waved goodbye. Neji sent her a look and pulled out his phone. A few seconds later, Tenten glanced down at the text notification.

**Hyuga (8:34):** _Wait._

Tenten sighed and texted back a question mark, but Neji didn’t reply—he’d already returned his focus to the speaker. After a few more moments’ exchange, Neji began walking up the aisle with the speaker. “Jiraiya Gama, this is Tenten Li. She’s the association’s secretary,” Neji introduced as they drew closer.

Mr. Gama shook hands with Tenten, smiling. “Nice to meet you.”

Neji looked at Tenten and said, “Let’s go. We’re going to take Mr. Gama to his hotel.”

“Okay,” Tenten said slowly, following Mr. Gama into the lobby. She felt Neji’s fingers brush her waist, briefly, as they walked out to the car. She held back a smile as she got into the back of his car.

The drive to the hotel was quiet, with Mr. Gama asking probing questions about Neji’s plans after university, and the different classes he was taking for his last semester. A few times, during the drive, Neji’s eyes would flicker to Tenten in the rearview mirror.

Once they reached the hotel, Tenten stayed in the backseat as Neji walked Mr. Gama to the concierge desk. When he returned, he opened the back door and peered in at her. “Is there a reason why you’re still in the backseat?” Neji asked.

“Yes,” Tenten smirked and pulled him in after her, picking back up where they had left off earlier.

Neji leaned over her, his mouth grazing her throat, one hand on her waist. Tenten sighed and placed her hand on the back of his neck, shifting onto her back. She captured Neji’s lips again, slowly entwining her arms around him.

They came up for air a moment later, gazing at each other. “Is your arm killing you?” Tenten asked, turning to look at Neji’s bent arm against the edge of the seat’s cushion. Neji smiled in answer. “Sit up,” Tenten commanded.

Neji carefully pushed himself into a seated position and Tenten drew herself up before straddling him, her knees pressed into Neji’s hips. She angled his jaw up and looked into his eyes before leaning down, letting her lips brush against his lazily. Neji’s hands lifted her shirt ever so slightly, tracing the outline of her ribcage. Tenten shivered and pressed herself more firmly into him, grinning as their kisses grew more desperate, deepening.

And then, Tenten’s phone rang in her back pocket, a sharp trill that made them both jump apart.

“Shit,” Tenten muttered, yanking her phone out and glancing at the screen. She looked at Neji with wide eyes. “I have to take this.”

Neji stared at her. “You’re kidding.”

“It’s my brother,” Tenten explained, clambering off Neji’s lap to stumble out from the backseat.

Tenten quickly checked her face in the side mirror, then answered the video call, being careful to angle her head to fill the whole screen so Rocky wouldn’t see the hotel sign or Neji.

“Tenten! How did the event go?” Rocky asked in his booming voice. He was in a bright and sunny room, shoveling eggs into his mouth. Tenten’s stomach growled loudly.

“Fine,” Tenten said, trying to take slow breaths through her nose to calm her racing heartbeat. “I’m—I had to ride with a friend to drop the speaker off at their hotel.”

Rocky nodded approvingly and began chugging orange juice. “What topic did the speaker cover?”

“Um,” Tenten muttered, trying to remember through her hazy thoughts.

Behind her, in a low voice, Neji said, “How to maintain relationships in a growing tech-savvy world.”

“Maintaining connections,” Tenten abbreviated, clearing her throat in case Rocky had picked up Neji’s voice.

Rocky nodded wisely, genuinely interested. “You know, Tenten, sometimes I wish I could go to college. Just to learn things like that.”

Tenten rolled her eyes and walked around the front of the car. “Rock, you can quit anytime you want. You know that.”

Rocky smiled. “Yes, I know. Maybe when I get too old, then I’ll go to college.”

“Sounds good,” Tenten replied approvingly, matching her brother’s smile. “Where’s Dad?”

Rocky swiveled the phone to give Tenten a view of what must be their hotel’s breakfast room. Maito Li was facing away from the camera, speaking with a group of similar age men, dressed in sweats and sneakers. Rocky returned to the screen. “Networking, as always.”

Tenten smirked and glanced over her shoulder as she heard a car door shut and open. Neji had moved to the driver’s seat and was waiting patiently for Tenten to get in the car. As smoothly as she could with one hand occupied, Tenten slipped into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt.

Rocky was chattering on about his schedule for the day—workouts, lunch, workouts, and then a show that evening with some other famous martial artists. Tenten listened politely, but she felt tense with Neji next to her driving, privy to she and her brother’s private conversation. A few times he looked over and caught her eye, but his expression was unreadable.

Finally, when they were almost back to campus, Maito entered the screen and let out a cry of joy. “Tenten, we miss you so much!” Maito cooed in Chinese. “Why don’t you come to Singapore for Christmas break? We could have so much fun—”

Tenten shook her head quickly and answered back, “No, thank you. You guys know that we would spend the whole break in a gym and at tournaments. Don’t worry about me; I’m planning on sleeping through the entire two weeks.”

Rocky frowned and Maito sighed. “Well,” her father said, switching to English, “if you change your mind, please tell us. We can get you a plane ticket no problem.”

“I won’t. But thank you, Baba.”

“Rocky, we should go,” Maito said, clapping Rocky on the shoulder.

Rocky nodded and smiled sadly at his sister. “We’ll talk soon, okay?”

Tenten agreed and hung up after waving goodbye. She put her phone away and glanced at Neji expectantly. Feeling her eyes on him, Neji looked back for a moment before returning his gaze to the road.

“Sorry,” Tenten said, referring to the interruption.

“Do you get to talk with them often? Your dad and brother?” Neji asked.

Tenten shrugged. “Depends on their schedule. I try to talk to them at least once a week, but sometimes they’re too busy.”

“Did you ever do tournaments and shows like them?”

“Yep. Our dad had Rock and I drilling in postures as soon as we could stand still long enough.”

“You didn’t keep going like your brother?”

“I did for a while,” Tenten said tiredly, rubbing her eyes. “But . . . I eventually gave it up. Rocky was the one who always had the natural talent for it anyway. He always won tons more competitions than I did.”

Neji mulled this over and pulled into the parking lot of Tenten’s dorm. He parked the car and glanced at her.

“You’re not going to ask?” Tenten prompted.

Neji raised an eyebrow. “Ask what?”

“If I can kick your ass. Everyone always asks me that when they find out who my brother is, or that I’ve learned martial arts.”

Neji smirked. “I don’t care if you can kick my ass or not.”

Tenten raised her eyebrows. “Oh, really? The great Neji Hyuga doesn’t give a damn if a girl is stronger than he is?”

“No,” Neji said easily, reaching out to grasp the back of her neck and draw her close. He kissed her softly, his lips gentle and soft against her own.

Tenten pushed him away easily. “Just for the record, I definitely could. Kick your ass, that is.”

“Great,” Neji said, rolling his eyes. He leaned in to kiss her again, but Tenten pulled away, a mischievous look in her eye.

“Actually, I was wondering. . .”

Neji narrowed his eyes and sighed, slightly exasperated. “Your statistics final?” Neji clarified.

Tenten nodded, a small smile spreading across her mouth.

“Go get your notes. We’ll go to the diner,” Neji said. “I definitely heard your stomach growling earlier.”

“Thank you!” Tenten chirped, hopping out of the car and jogging in to get her backpack, feeling pleased with herself.


	7. serious conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> buckle up, kids. this one's a doozy.

** _~ seven – serious conversations ~_ **

Over the next two weeks, Tenten dragged herself to class and her countless review sessions through the snowy slush, cursing a myriad of things: the most prominent being the weather, her statistics final, and her ever-growing number of history essays. Neji, true to his word, studied with her constantly. In the days leading up to finals, Tenten felt unusually confident after these tutoring sessions—so much so that when Neji told her he had to study for his own finals, Tenten released him.

However, the day before her statistics exam, Tenten was typing away on another history paper, when she felt a sudden onset of panic. Telling herself to breathe, Tenten pushed away her laptop and grabbed her notebook. She flipped it open, intending to feel her anxiety dissipate as she looked over the familiar formulas. Yet, Tenten felt even more uneasy. She reached for her phone and sent Neji a quick text: _H__elp! I’m freaking out!_

A few moments passed, but Neji didn’t respond. Growing agitated, Tenten called him, but the call went straight to voicemail. “Dammit, Hyuga,” Tenten muttered, figuring he’d shut off his phone to stay focused while he studied.

She turned back to her notebook and tried to create her own statistics problems. Her uncertainty increased. Grabbing her study materials, Tenten quickly shoved it into her bag and headed out.

* * *

Tenten knocked on the door, tapping her foot impatiently. A moment later, it swung open and Neji stood before her, his hair pulled back from his face. Tenten was struck by the transformation, disregarding how surprised he seemed to see her.

“Are you wearing _glasses_?” Tenten crowed, a grin growing on her lips.

Neji quickly snatched them off, glaring at her, but Tenten pushed past him into his house, chuckling. “What the hell are you doing here?” Neji snapped, closing the door behind him.

Tenten turned to him, her hands resting on her hips. “My final is tomorrow and I’m panicking a little. I need you to quiz me.”

“I’m busy,” Neji answered grumpily, marching past her to sit on the couch. A spread of textbooks was laid out on the coffee table.

“This is an emergency,” Tenten said. “Neji, if I don’t pass this final, I’m not going to graduate on time.”

Neji looked up at her, his expression unsympathetic. “You know it,” Neji assured. “Stop second-guessing yourself.”

“I can’t help it. I’m freaking out. Come on, please? It’ll take you two minutes to write them down and then I’ll leave.”

Neji pursed his lips but tore a few sheets of paper out of his notebook and bent over the pages, his hand flying as he scrawled out complicated problems. Tenten walked over to sit on the opposite end of the couch, watching Neji from the corner of her eye. A moment later, he held out the pages.

Tenten quietly settled herself in at the foot of the couch, analyzing the problems he’d written out. A few times over the next hour, Tenten snuck glances at Neji. He had not replaced his glasses—she must have embarrassed him. She watched him pore over his notes, his lips moving slightly as he read over theories. After a beat, Neji noticed her eyes on him, and he looked over to her, his expression guarded. He raised his eyebrows in question.

“You look really hot in glasses, Hyuga,” Tenten complimented, smiling sweetly.

“Don’t be a suck up, Tenten,” Neji replied shortly, turning back to his notes.

Tenten smiled and turned back to her quiz.

* * *

At half past six, just as the room was growing dark from sundown outside, Neji sat back from his notes and sighed heavily. Tenten, focusing on one of her last problems, ignored him. After a moment, Neji snatched the papers from underneath her hands, and began reviewing them. Tenten treated him to a doleful look. “I wasn’t done with those.”

Neji paused before tossing them onto the coffee table. He levelled his gaze at her. “I told you that you know what you’re doing. You’ll do fine on your exam.”

Tenten reached for the papers, anxious. “Are you sure? You didn’t really check—”

“Tenten.”

Tenten frowned and stopped, letting it go. She leaned her head against the back of the couch, studying him. Neji stared back, his eyes dull with fatigue. After a beat, Tenten pulled herself closer to him, reaching out and plucking out the glasses that were folded in Neji’s shirt pocket.

She set them on the coffee table and eyed him. “I wasn’t joking when I said you looked hot in these.”

Neji said nothing, watching her carefully. Tenten crept over to him, settling on his lap. She bent down and slowly brushed her lips against his. Neji exhaled and gazed up at her, his expression unreadable. Tenten teased him, her lips breezing across his mouth, his nose, his jaw. Feeling the thrill growing in her skin, Tenten grasped Neji’s neck and kissed him. It seemed to be what Neji was waiting for—his hands came to rest on her waist, pushing up her shirt, his fingers grazing her warm skin.

Tenten moved closer to him, her knees tightening around Neji’s waist as she opened her mouth slightly, letting her tongue slip out to run across his lower lip.

Neji’s tongue met hers as a hand grazed up her ribcage to caress her breast. Tenten let out a small sound of pleasure, and Neji tightened his arm around her waist. Tenten rocked her hips against him in a slow motion, sighing as Neji moved his mouth to her neck, placing searing hot kisses against her throat.

Tenten felt Neji stiffen underneath her, and she grinned slyly. “Do you want to go somewhere more comfortable?” she whispered in his ear.

Neji stood up from the couch, and Tenten wrapped her legs around his waist, nuzzling his neck as he carried her to his bedroom.

When he dropped her onto the edge of his bed, Tenten cast a swift eye around his room before Neji captured her attention again, climbing on top of her and kissing her feverishly.

Tenten’s head spun, her eyes closed as she savored each sensation Neji was causing in her body, the hair on her arms prickling as he touched the dip of her navel, the tops of her hip bones. She tugged off his shirt, her fingers spreading over his muscles—_God, was this really all due to his running habit?—_and down the planes of his back.

Neji moaned softly against her mouth, his hand cupping her cheek as they kissed slowly.

“Do you want to—?” Tenten asked, growing more and more heated.

“Yes,” Neji answered immediately. He pulled back and stared down at her, entranced.

Tenten raised an eyebrow. “Do you have a condom?”

Neji blinked, and glanced around his room, as if dazed. He looked back at Tenten and said quickly, “I’ll be right back.” He grabbed his discarded shirt off the floor and half-jogged out of the room.

Tenten decided to take this opportunity to study Neji’s room. There was a lot of navy—including the walls and the bedspread she was currently lying on. Tenten sat up and scanned the walls, increasingly disturbed to see only two pictures on the wall above a very tidy desk. She slid off the bed and analyzed them: the first was a snapshot of a couple looking very formal in wedding dress. The second seemed to be caught in the middle of action: a toddler was blurred in movement, their hands held up by someone whose head hadn’t made it into the shot. Tenten turned her attention to the desk and began opening drawers, her curiosity spiking.

When Neji rushed back into the room, almost ten minutes later, Tenten was sitting at his desk, flipping through full notebooks.

Tenten looked at him over her shoulder. “Why are you out of breath?” she asked, confused.

“I’m not,” Neji huffed, staring at her. “What are you doing?”

“Just looking around. Listen, Neji, I think I’ve concluded that you’re not a serial killer, but this room is seriously depressing.”

Confused, Neji glanced around. “What do you mean?”

“You have two pictures. And it’s so dark in here and . . . clean. Where’s the personality?” Tenten asked, standing to her feet to face him.

Neji snorted. “You’re accusing me of not having a personality? Are you kidding?”

Tenten shrugged. “I’m just saying, by the looks of this room, a chaste monk lives in here.”

Neji smirked and pulled off his shirt. Tenten bit her lip appreciatively—his abs were almost too good to look at.

“You want chaste?” he posed, tossing a wrapped condom onto the bedspread as he walked over to her.

Tenten grinned as he pushed her back onto the bed. “Well, maybe not completely chaste,” she muttered as he pulled off her shirt.

Neji let out a laugh as he leaned down to kiss her. Tenten wrapped herself around him, and it was a long time afterward that they spoke another word.

* * *

“Okay,” Tenten said later, looking up at Neji as he drank a glass of water. “Tell me the story behind the only two pictures you seem to possess.”

Neji rolled his eyes at her. “Those aren’t the only two pictures I possess. They’re just the ones I like the most.”

Tenten snuggled deeper underneath Neji’s comforter, getting comfortable. “Please elaborate.”

Neji sighed and rolled off the bed, untacking the pictures from the wall. He laid down next to her, and Tenten rested her head on his arm to see better. Neji pointed at the toddler first. “This is my father, when he was a child, when he was learning to walk. My grandfather is the one holding him up.”

Tenten plucked the photo from his fingers to view it more closely. “Why did you keep this?”

“My family doesn’t keep a lot of photos. . . And there aren’t many of my father when he was younger.”

Tenten hummed at this, thinking. Neji’s attention moved to the formal wedding photo. “_Haha_,” Neji said, pointing to the woman. His finger moved to the man. “_Chichi_.”

“They’re both very beautiful,” Tenten murmured into Neji’s shoulder.

“This is their wedding photo. They got married in Japan. And then immigrated after I was born.”

“Why did they decide to leave Japan?” Tenten asked.

“My uncle and grandparents had already moved here—they were working in a corporation by then, and they convinced my dad that if he moved here, he and my mom would have a very easy life; Japan was going through a recession during that time. So, they agreed and moved here.”

“Did they like it?”

Neji shrugged. “They didn’t know a lot of English. It wasn’t a big deal, because a lot of my family lived here and helped them. But it was hard on my mom being apart from her family.”

Tenten analyzed his mother. She was wearing a lot of makeup, but her aquiline features were striking. Her mouth was pursed in a smirk, identical to Neji’s own. Tenten smiled.

“I bet they’re proud of you. Top of your department, ASA president, decent at sex. . . You’re every Asian parent’s dream child,” Tenten listed, stifling a yawn. She caught Neji’s eye, sensing a shift in his mood. “What?”

Neji smiled weakly, hesitant.

Tenten stiffened. “Did I say something stupid?”

Neji’s mouth twisted peculiarly. “No—they would have been proud.” Neji shrugged. “They passed away when I was . . . seven? Eight? They were in a car accident.”

Tenten stilled, staring up at him. Neji winced uncomfortably and met her eyes. “Don’t pity me, please,” he said softly.

“Pity you?” stammered Tenten. “Are you kidding? I’m just . . . astonished, because what are the odds two orphans with so much emotional trauma can have sex like _that_?”

Neji released a small smile. “You’re not a real orphan,” he claimed.

Tenten sat up carelessly, sweeping aside the comforter in indignation. “Excuse me? My real parents abandoned me in a trash can in China. How dare you question my orphan status?”

Noticeably distracted, Neji leaned back against his headboard, his smile growing. “You have an adopted family, and your father and brother are successful martial artists. You’re an honorary orphan, at the very most.”

Tenten slid onto him, placing her hands on his shoulders. “You’re very rude to mock my pain like that,” she murmured, leaning down to kiss him.

“I think you can take it,” Neji whispered back against her lips, and pulled her underneath the covers again.

* * *

When Tenten walked out of her statistics final the next day, she felt a euphoria she’d never experienced before. She called Neji immediately.

“I’m at a tutoring session,” he whispered upon answering.

Ignoring this, Tenten exclaimed dramatically, “I’ve survived. I’m free. No more will I have to calculate populations or samples or source bias! I kicked statistics’ ass!”

Neji said, after a brief pause, “Great, I have to go.”

“Come to my dorm when you’re done. I want to have sex with you,” Tenten said, then hung up, feeling powerful.

Upon returning to her room, she called Rocky to share her good news. “That’s great, Tennie! When do you find out your grade?”

“In a week or so,” Tenten replied, peeling off her socks. “But it won’t matter. Even if I didn’t do as well as I think I did, I have enough room in my average to pass the class.”

Rocky listened attentively, breathing heavily as he ran on the treadmill. Tenten jabbered on about her numerous history essays she still had to complete. She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed the expression on her brother’s face. “What?” she asked.

Rocky’s face shined. Tears (or was it sweat?) were welling in his eyes. “It’s just—Tennie, you seem so happy!”

“I am,” Tenten said slowly, confused. “I told you—I’m done with statistics!”

“No, there’s something else,” Rocky said, smiling broadly. “You’re. . . I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it.”

To herself, Tenten thought, _Do I have a pre-sex glow?_

Rocky shook his head and laughed, genuinely pleased. “I’m happy that you’re happy. I know that this has been a rough semester for you.”

“Thanks, Rock. Will you tell Dad?”

Rocky nodded, and the siblings said goodbye. Tenten sat down at her desk to work on her medieval Europe essay, but she couldn’t focus. She got up and began pulling on warmer clothes, feeling the need to rid herself of some energy.

A quiet knock resounded on her door, and Tenten hopped over to open it, one foot clad in her winter boots while the other was half-socked. Neji stood in the doorway, an eyebrow raised in annoyance.

“You can’t call someone with a message like that while they’re at work,” he said sternly.

Tenten tugged on his collar and pulled him inside. As she nudged the door shut with her booted toe, any passersby that would have been walking down the hall would have seen Tenten wearing a huge smirk, her eyes alight with joy.

* * *

“Come running with me.”

Tenten glared at Neji from underneath her comforter, pushing her hair out of her face. He was pulling gym clothes out of his bag, dressing quickly. “Neji, it’s cold outside.”

“You won’t be cold long,” Neji replied, tugging a t-shirt over his head.

“But I’m warm now,” Tenten said, wrinkling her nose.

Neji crouched down to pull on his shoes. “It’ll be fun.”

“Running in the dead of winter does not sound fun to me.”

Neji walked over and threw aside Tenten’s comforter. He ignored her outcry, and slid his hands up her thighs, smirking. “Exercise is good for you.”

“God, you sound like my dad and Rocky,” Tenten muttered, rolling her eyes. “Sex is exercise.”

Neji shook his head, smiling down at her. “I hold to the opinion that real exercise should cause you some pain and discomfort,” he said.

Tenten’s eyebrows quirked upward, her mouth mischievous. “Oh, are you into that, Hyuga? I’m sure we can try that out.” She reached up to pull Neji back down again, but he slipped out of her grip with a small laugh.

“If you don’t want to come, that’s fine,” he said, heading towards the door.

Tenten groaned. “Hold on.” She slipped out of her bed and quickly pulled on some sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She brushed past Neji into the hallway, pulling her hair back.

“Go easy on me. It’s been a while since I worked out,” Tenten muttered under her breath.

Neji set his hand on the back of her neck as they walked out into the frosty afternoon. His touch made her shiver. “Don’t worry,” he said, steering her out the dorm’s side door. “I’ll stick with you.”

* * *

Tenten submitted her last essay on Greek philosophers that Friday evening, and blissfully spent the next twelve hours of her Christmas break sleeping deeply underneath the warmth of her comforter. She’d arranged to stay on campus for the duration of the break with the university, since she’d refused to take up her father’s offer to visit them in Singapore.

She and Neji quickly fell into a routine. Tenten would sleep in and text Neji upon waking and would either meet him at the diner or Neji would pick her up. They would then head to Neji’s house, where they would watch television or make headway through the Hyuga’s extensive DVD collection. At some point, they would creep into Neji’s room and have sex. If Hinata happened to be home, they would run the mile and a half back to Tenten’s dorm and canoodle in her twin bed. Grumpily, Tenten began running with Neji every day—despite his encouragement, what drove Tenten to keep going was the fact that he would run circles around her—literally.

One morning, right before Christmas, Tenten struggled to keep up with Neji. He had been true to his word—he never left her behind, though Tenten knew he could. A few times, she’d attempted to wave him on, feeling bad for slowing him down, but Neji had refused.

Ahead of her, Neji looked over his shoulder, checking on her. “Let’s stop,” he said, slowing to a walk.

“No,” Tenten huffed, drawing up beside him, hands on her hips. “Let’s keep going.”

“You’re tired,” Neji responded, his eyes lingering on the eerie morning fog.

Tenten rolled her eyes. “I’m fine,” she stated, gulping in frigid air that sliced through her chest. When her breathing evened out, Tenten caught Neji’s gaze. “What are your Christmas plans?”

“We have a family party every year,” Neji said. “What about you?”

“I’m planning on watching Christmas movies and eating popcorn until I pass out,” Tenten said proudly, grinning.

Neji gestured that they should walk, to keep their heart rates going. Tenten fell into step with him, breathing heavily through her nose.

“What did you get your brother and father for Christmas?” Neji asked.

“Don’t laugh—for Rock I got him a set of leg and arm weights. And for Dad I got some new workout clothes.” Neji didn’t heed her; he snorted loudly. Tenten swatted his chest.

“It’s what they wanted!” she maintained.

“I can’t believe you compared me to them,” Neji said. “They’re a different level of commitment.”

“I only compared them to you because of your insistence to run in inhumane conditions,” Tenten replied, her breath visible as she exhaled.

Neji smirked at her. “What did you want for Christmas?”

Tenten narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Are you fishing for ideas, Hyuga?”

“I already purchased your Christmas present.”

Tenten felt a flush rise to her cheeks. She shook her head. “You should return it. I’m not getting you anything.”

“It’s non-refundable,” Neji answered.

Tenten mused this over in her head, then shot Neji a disgusted glance. “Gross, Hyuga.”

Neji smiled to himself and set his arm around her shoulders. “Your mind goes to very immoral places when left to its own devices,” he commented.

Tenten shook his arm off. She snapped, “You know what I would like for Christmas, Hyuga? For you to get a sense of humor.”

Neji laughed shortly. “I’ll see if I can arrange that,” Neji said with a roll of his eyes. “Enough walking. Let’s go.” He picked up his speed, and Tenten sighed, trailing after him.

* * *

Tenten woke on Christmas Day after eleven to a flurry of text messages from her friends. Ino, fresh back from her Italian adventure had wished her a _Buon Natale_ with a string of Italian flags behind it. Sakura’s said a simple Merry Christmas, with a small emoji of a Christmas tree, while Hinata had sent her a full paragraph of glad tidings.

Neji’s read: _Merry Christmas. Check your dorm staircase. I’ll see you later tonight?_

Tenten rushed outside and was delighted to see the snow slowly building in clumps on the grounds. Midway up the steps was a small bundle. Tenten snatched it and slipped back inside, undoing the wrapping paper securing the contents. Out fell one turkey sandwich, a packet of microwave popcorn, and a dark chocolate bar—the very one she’d picked for herself during Thanksgiving.

Smiling to herself, Tenten hugged the items to her chest and returned to her room, snuggling deep underneath her comforter. Her call to Rocky and her father began with tears—theirs.

“Tennie, thank you so much! This is exactly what I needed to take my workouts to new levels!” Rocky exclaimed, tears brimming in his eyes.

Next to him, Maito was sniffling loudly, clutching his new workout clothes to his chest. “Tennie, you’re so sweet. These will be so breathable,” he cried.

Tenten winced at their display of emotion but released a small smile. She picked up her own presents—from Rocky, a laptop case that could double as a briefcase; from her father, a set of books on Chinese history that she’d requested. “Thank you for my presents. I love them!” she said, holding them up to the phone’s camera.

This caused Rocky and Maito’s emotions to resurge, and it was several moments before they were calm enough to ask Tenten how she was spending the rest of the day.

Distractedly, fiddling with her new laptop case, Tenten said, “Just watching movies and pigging out on popcorn. I may see Neji later.”

As soon as she said it, Tenten silently cursed herself. Pretending she’d said nothing out of the ordinary, Tenten continued to adjust the strap on her laptop bag. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brother and father exchange a glance. _Dammit_, Tenten thought.

“Oh? Which movie? And who’s Neji—I don’t think you’ve mentioned them before,” Rocky replied casually.

Tenten bent down to begin picking up the wrapping paper she’d discarded onto the floor. “_Fuckfuckfuck_,” Tenten muttered under her breath. She straightened; her expression schooled into indifference. “I think I have? He’s the ASA president. And I’m planning on watching some Christmas movies.”

Rocky and Matio sat transfixed on the other side of the screen, their attention rapt. “Oh, yes,” Rocky said slowly. “I remember. He’s the person you were having to meet—to discuss association business?”

“That’s the one,” Tenten responded, keeping her tone flat. “Which Christmas movie do you guys think I should watch? I’m having a hard time deciding.”

“This boy—you’ve been spending a lot of time with him?” Maito asked, his eyes searching.

Tenten bit the inside of her cheek. “Not any more than any of the other ASA members I have to spend time with,” Tenten replied lightly. “Will you two back off?”

Maito raised his eyebrows, seemingly unconvinced. Rocky smiled, winking at his sister. “Tennie, it’s okay if you have a boyfriend. You could tell us.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Tenten said shortly, her features stern. “We’re barely acquainted.”

With one glance, Tenten could tell they didn’t believe her. She quickly switched subjects, asking how they had spent the rest of their day. Maito and Rocky detailed their Christmas—walking around Orchard Road and stuffing their faces with a Christmas buffet at a local restaurant. Tenten nibbled on the turkey sandwich as they went on, pulling up a movie on her laptop. Finally, Maito yawned and checked his watch. “We should probably go to bed, Tennie. We have workouts at the studio in the morning.”

“Alright,” Tenten said. “I love you both. Merry Christmas.”

After they hung up, Tenten balanced her laptop on her desk so she could view it from her bed and settled in. For the next several hours, Tenten drifted in and out of consciousness, finally jolting awake at seven from the buzzing of her phone.

“Hello?” she answered groggily.

“You’re still asleep?” Neji asked.

“No,” Tenten said, stifling a yawn.

“I was planning to see you tonight,” Neji said. “But I’ve run into a problem.”

“Oh, yeah?” Tenten said, stretching. “What kind of problem?”

“It’s been snowing heavily since this morning. The roads aren’t safe. I’m still at my uncle’s house, and I’ll probably have to stay the night.”

“Shucks,” Tenten said, pushing away the weight of disappointment in her gut. “I was hoping to introduce you to the Christmas movie genre.”

“I can’t communicate the depth of my disappointment,” Neji responded.

The mockery in his voice was not thick enough to disguise his sincerity. It made Tenten chew on the edge of her thumbnail. “You could always jog here,” Tenten suggested, closing her eyes.

“Your plan is to have me die in the snow with hypothermia?” Neji said. “You’ll have to try harder than that to get rid of me.”

Tenten pulled her comforter tighter around her. “Tell me about Christmas at your uncle’s,” she murmured, breathing deep at the sound of distant chatter on Neji’s end.

“Like every year, it began with my grandparents telling everyone their expectations for all of us to get married and have children straight-away.”

Tenten snickered. “Really?”

“Yes. They were mostly addressing this to one of my cousins. He’s in graduate school and he’s not dating anyone, so he was the prime target.”

“I bet that was embarrassing,” Tenten said.

Neji laughed under his breath. Tenten closed her eyes, trying to picture him. “It shouldn’t be. We’re all subjected to it. After my grandparents had their say, my uncle gave a big speech about how attending family events is important—that was directed towards me, obviously.”

“Such a rule-breaker,” Tenten mumbled.

Neji went on, “Once everyone was properly shamed, we ate dinner while my aunts tried to talk to Hinata about Uzumaki—they were unsuccessful.”

“Good for Hinata!”

“Then my uncle and grandparents started to talk to me about what I’ll be doing after graduation, but apparently it’s already been decided.”

“Are they really going to kick you out of the family for missing Thanksgiving? Seems like they’re overreacting.”

“No,” Neji responded, his blithe tone sounding forced. “They’re sending me to Japan next summer. To intern at my uncle’s company.”

Tenten mulled this over in silence. A moment later she said, “That sounds like fun. A summer in Japan? Maybe you’ll meet a hot Japanese lady and get married and fulfill that other familial expectation.”

Neji scoffed. “You would like that, wouldn’t you? It would fulfill all your preconceived notions of me.”

“That you’re a tight ass?”

She could hear the grin in Neji’s voice when he replied, “Thank you for noticing—I run.”

Tenten snorted. “That joke book is really paying off, huh?”

“_Nani?_” Neji said suddenly, his tone shifting from playful to sharp. Tenten waited, listening hard to the other end of the line. There was a pause, then Neji said, “_Chotto matte kudasai._”

“Should I go?” Tenten whispered.

“No,” Neji sighed. “I’m sorry. My uncle wants to talk to me.”

“You should go then,” Tenten urged. “Before they really do kick you out of the family.”

It was quiet for a beat before Neji finally said in a soft tone, under his breath, “I miss you.”

Tenten opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, suddenly alert. Her mouth pulled into a grimace. “I think what you’re _trying_ to say is that you’re bummed you’re not having sex with me right now.” He laughed, and the tension in Tenten’s chest eased slightly.

“You have to make everything sexual, don’t you? What if I actually miss you?” His tone was light, but Tenten could tell he was being serious. “You’re not impressed by sentiment, are you?”

“That would be correct,” she said in a clipped voice. “Nice try though.”

They said goodbye and hung up. Tenten pulled her pillow over her face and hugged it tightly, exhaling a low breath, unease rolling in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

A couple of days before New Year’s Eve, Tenten and Neji were laying around Neji’s living room when Neji received a call. He walked away; his phone pressed to his ear. Tenten sat up and yawned, reaching for the TV remote.

When Neji returned, he said to Tenten, “There’s a wedding this weekend.”

“Oh?” Tenten said distractedly, surfing through the TV channels. “Who?”

“My second cousin,” Neji replied. “Want to come?”

“As your date?” Tenten asked, looking over at him. Neji was reading something on his phone, eyes narrowed. He absently reached up and adjusted his glasses; Tenten smirked.

“As the only person I’ll be able to tolerate for any lengthy amount of time,” Neji finally answered a moment later, meeting her gaze. “It’ll be my whole extended family. And they’re all notorious busybodies.”

Tenten blinked. “You’re asking me to come as your date, so they won’t try to set you up with anyone,” she deciphered aloud, raising an eyebrow.

Neji sighed. “I wouldn’t have put it exactly like that, but yes.”

Tenten made a face and turned back to the TV guide. “Sounds like fun but no thanks.”

“Tenten, please? There’ll be a lot of food and alcohol. It’s in a nice hotel—it has a heated pool.”

Tenten wrinkled her nose, though the offer did sound more appealing to her now. “A heated pool, you say?” she mused sarcastically, glancing at him. “Neji, it’s New Year’s Eve weekend. I was planning on getting plastered on champagne, watching the ball drop on TV, then calling Dad and Rocky.”

Neji shot her a baleful glare. “You’re right; you’re all booked. What was I thinking?”

Tenten smiled and clicked on a deep-sea diving show. The divers on screen were wrangling with a shark twice their size.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Neji said after a moment. “You come to the wedding with me, and I’ll buy the champagne.”

Tenten made a face. “That’s a low offer. I could buy all the champagne I wanted here and be ten times more comfortable.”

Neji frowned. “Are you really turning down an opportunity for free food, free alcohol, _and_ rejecting the chance to see all of my crazy relatives? On New Year’s Eve?”

Tenten looked at him, and Neji looked back, waiting. Tenten held up three fingers. “Make it at least three bottles of champagne and I’m yours for the weekend.”

Neji smirked. “Done.”

* * *

“Don’t be intimidated,” were Neji’s first words as they parked the car at the hotel.

It was mid-afternoon, and they had only just arrived at the hotel where the wedding and reception was going to be held.

Tenten scoffed. “Nothing intimidates me,” she replied, getting out of the car. “As long as there’s an open bar and waiters keep coming by with appetizers, I’ll be fine.”

Neji snorted unpleasantly, grabbing their overnight bags from the trunk. “I hope you’re this confident all day,” he said, leading her to the front desk.

It quickly became clear that in the eyes of the Hyugas, Tenten was expected to board with Hinata and her younger sister, Hanabi. Upon catching Neji’s eye, Tenten knew the likelihood of that was very low, if Neji had any say about it.

The hotel lobby was beautifully decorated—shiny marble floors, pristine white columns, luxurious-looking carpets. Tenten secretly edged off one of her flats and sank her toes into a spacious red and gold rug. She sighed contentedly.

Neji had been hailed by a relative and was conversing a few feet away. He snuck a glance at her over his shoulder and smirked. A few moments later, the relative waved goodbye and Neji walked over to Tenten, setting a hand on the back of the armchair she was resting in.

“Couldn’t resist?” he asked, looking pointedly at her unshod foot.

Tenten stared at him. “How much do you think this carpet costs? More than a semester’s tuition?”

“Well over that,” Neji said.

Tenten hummed. “God, your family is so fancy.” Neji cast an eye around the lobby but said nothing. Tenten continued, “This is the point where you say, no, we’re all very humble and give a fourth of our wealth to charity.”

Neji raised an eyebrow, amused. “We’re here for a wedding. Were you expecting to be at the back of a bar doing shots with my cousins?”

Tenten shrugged and got to her feet. “That probably would’ve been more fun,” she replied. “What time is the wedding?”

Neji checked his watch and grimaced. “In around an hour and a half. We should probably go get dressed.”

They walked together to the elevators and rode up to the fourth floor. Neji glanced at his phone to check Hinata’s room number and led Tenten down the hall. Outside the door, he set a hand on her arm, looking at her seriously. “Are you alright?”

Tenten rolled her eyes, sighing loudly. “Don’t worry, Neji. I’m not planning on getting drunk on tequila and making out with you in front of your whole family.”

Neji’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “That’s not what I’m asking,” he responded.

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Neji said, his brow furrowed. “I—I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

Tenten’s eyes narrowed. “What does my comfort have to do with anything?”

Neji leaned into her, circling his arm around her waist. He considered her thoughtfully, his expression soft. “I don’t—,” he paused, swallowing. “I don’t have many . . . friends.”

“Hyuga,” Tenten said slowly, “is this a human sacrifice situation? Are you trying to tell me you lured me here with champagne and free food, but your real plan was to offer me to a vampire cult or something?”

Neji cracked a wry smile. “You can’t be serious about anything, can you?”

Tenten shrugged one shoulder. “You’re not refuting the vampire cult thing, so I’m going to assume that I was right.”

Neji sighed and glanced around the hallway before briefly kissing her. “I’ll see you downstairs.” He began walking down the hallway.

“Neji, I did not consent to joining a vampire coven!” Tenten called loudly after him.

The hotel door opened, revealing a wide-eyed looking Hinata. Neji glanced over his shoulder and laughed at Tenten’s caught expression.

“Hello, Tenten,” Hinata greeted politely, looking confused.

“Hello, Hinata,” Tenten muttered back, silently cursing Neji.

She followed Hinata into the hotel room, her eyes alighting on a younger girl sitting in front of a desk, looking into a mirror.

“Tenten, this is my younger sister, Hanabi,” Hinata introduced with an encouraging smile.

Hanabi turned to meet Tenten’s eyes, unsmiling. “So, you’re the one who Neji skipped Thanksgiving for?” she asked tonelessly.

Hinata said something sharply in Japanese, causing Hanabi to frown. Tenten smiled and strode forward, holding out her hand to shake. Loosely, Hanabi reciprocated, then let her hand fall into her lap.

“Yep,” Tenten answered. “I’m Tenten. Nice to meet you.”

Hanabi nodded and turned back to her reflection in the mirror. Hinata tensely twirled a lock of hair around her finger, glancing between them.

“So, tell me about the bride and groom,” Tenten stated easily, beginning to undress.

Hanabi and Hinata exchanged a look, but willingly began to fill Tenten in on their family.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Tenten emerged from the elevator with Hinata and Hanabi, feeling poised. She’d brought the only stylish outfit she possessed—a short, red lace dress she’d borrowed from Ino’s closet and never returned. Tenten had even managed to coif her hair and apply more makeup than she usually wore. Feeling pleased with herself, Tenten had sent a selfie to Ino, not wanting her roommate to miss a job well done.

Tenten trailed after Hinata and Hanabi towards the ballroom where the wedding was to be held. Her phone buzzed and Tenten checked it, grinning.

**Ino (5:45):** _HAWTTTTT Where u gng????_

Before she could reply, Tenten looked up to make sure Hinata and Hanabi were still in her sights. They were several yards ahead of her and were entering the ballroom. Tenten’s eyes tripped over them to find Neji standing by the open doors, openly staring at her.

Tenten smiled slyly as she walked up to him. She brushed an imaginary piece of lint off his dark suit. “Do you think this dress is appropriate to join a coven?” Tenten posed in a low voice.

She waited a beat, then looked up. Neji’s gaze held her immovable. Tenten cleared her throat and struggled to glance away.

Neji’s hand brushed her arm. “Come on,” he said, voice strained as he led her into the ballroom.

* * *

Tenten had to give it to the Hyugas—they knew how to throw a party. The reception was held in an adjoining ballroom close to the size of a football field. It was decorated prettily in a New Year’s Eve theme—gold and silver streamers, sparkling centerpieces on the countless number of tables, soft white lighting.

“Wow,” Tenten breathed as she and Neji entered, falling into the line for food.

Neji glanced at her, a single eyebrow quirked. “Impressed?” he asked.

“It looks like how New Year’s Eve feels,” Tenten murmured, her eyes catching on the shiny décor.

Neji considered this. “Is this better than watching the ball drop on TV?” he asked.

Tenten mused. “It’s not better. Just different,” she finally decided quietly, cutting Neji in line.

* * *

True to Neji’s word, there was tons of food and alcohol. By nine, Tenten was on her second martini and feeling a little bored with the festivities. Neji had run interference with most of his relatives, leaving Tenten to sit alone at their table as she indulged in people-watching. She scanned the room again and noticed the hotel décor that had been allowed to remain—paintings hung in gold frames, interspersed along the walls.

Tenten glanced at Neji—he was a few feet away enduring what looked to be a one-sided conversation. She slipped out of her seat and wandered over to the nearest painting, near the back of the room. It was a copy of Vermeer’s _Girl with a Pearl Earring_. Tenten studied it for a while, wondering about what secrets the subject had possessed. Her feet carried her to the next painting, and within fifteen minutes, Tenten’s boredom had fled.

“You must be Tenten.”

Tenten startled and turned her head to see she had been joined by an older man that looked remarkably like Neji. His hair was graying at the temples, and his eyes regarded her seriously.

“I am,” Tenten replied, her tone reserved.

“I know less about you than I would like to,” Mr. Hyuga continued amiably. “My nephew is difficult to get information out of when he doesn’t want to share it.”

Tenten brought her martini glass to her lips and drank down the rest of the contents. “What would you like to know, Mr. Hyuga?”

“What is your major?”

“I started off in business, but I switched to history last year.”

Mr. Hyuga raised his eyebrows. “A history major? What are your plans after graduation?”

Tenten couldn’t tell if his tone was intrigued or disapproving. “I don’t have any yet, exactly. I may travel for a while, do some internships.”

“Do you know exactly where you would like to land?” Mr. Hyuga inquired, peering at her from the corner of his eye. “Internships are nice, but without a vision, they can be large wastes of time.”

Tenten pursed her lips, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “I’m interested in archiving. I could see myself working for a museum a few years.”

Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Mr. Hyuga gestured that they walk together. Tenten matched his slow pace and looked around the room; Neji had his back to her, attentively listening to Hanabi.

“You are Chinese?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are your parents from the mainland, or are they second generation?”

Tenten tamped down the smirk that rose to her lips. “My birth parents are from the mainland. My adopted parents are second generation. The best of both worlds,” she said.

“You were adopted?”

“Yes, sir. My biological parents abandoned me in a trash can, and then I apparently cried so loudly that someone took pity on me and ran me over to an orphanage.”

“Do you have siblings?” Mr. Hyuga said, passing over Tenten’s answer effortlessly.

“I have one older brother.”

“Does he attend college?”

Tenten chewed on the edge of her thumbnail for a second, before recognizing the tic and letting her hand fall to her side. “No. He and my Dad are currently in Singapore. They’re professional martial artists.”

Mr. Hyuga’s expression was impossible to read. He came to a stop near a pristine copy of Klimt’s _The Kiss_, hanging in a gilded frame. Tenten glanced around the room again and was satisfied to see that Neji had spotted them. Tenten watched him excuse himself from Hanabi and begin walking towards them.

“I’m pleased Neji brought you,” Mr. Hyuga said. “It’s always nice to meet new people.”

Neji drew within earshot, his eyes carefully on his uncle. “Let me guess—she’s been boring you to tears with historical facts about all of these paintings.”

Mr. Hyuga raised his eyebrows a fraction in amusement—or disapproval; Tenten wasn’t sure. He responded, “Tenten tells me that she used to be a business major. Did you happen to share classes?”

Tenten nodded while Neji answered, “Yes. After taking our economic development class she decided it was time to look for greener pastures.”

Mr. Hyuga released a small, wry smile. “I won’t fault her that, though it’s too bad. Perseverance is a good quality to possess.” Mr. Hyuga inclined his head to Tenten, and she reciprocated. He began to walk away, saying over his shoulder, “It was nice to meet you.”

Neji and Tenten watched him walk away before glancing at each other. “Sorry,” Neji said. “I know he can be . . . intimidating.”

Tenten shrugged, glancing again to the portrait of _The Kiss_. “You and your uncle look a lot alike.”

“My father was a twin,” Neji replied.

Tenten glanced at him, her eyebrows raised. “Isn’t that weird for you?”

Neji shrugged, noncommittal. His eyes moved to look at the painting in front of them. “I’ve gotten used to it,” he finally said, exhaling.

Tenten tilted her head, considering him. “Isn’t it strange? To think about all the things you’re going to do in your life, and not having the chance to share it with your parents?”

Neji’s gaze shifted to focus on her. After a beat, he answered, “I think I’ve accepted how to live with that disappointment. They died over ten years ago; I’ve learned to adjust my expectations.”

Tenten stared back at him, feeling a mix of sadness and respect. She blinked back the emotion building up in her eyes, and turned back to the wall, gesturing to the painting. “Want to know something about this?”

“Tell me,” Neji said, stepping close enough to brush up against her.

Tenten pressed herself closer to Neji’s side, feeling a thrill up her spine as he wound his arm around her waist. She leaned her head against his shoulder and studied the work, gesturing to it. “In sophomore year I had to take an art history class. The artist who created this used to get in a lot of trouble for producing raunchy paintings—they say he used to paint naked. But this one is supposedly of he and his companion. It’s one of his most famous works. Beautiful, right?”

Neji considered this for a moment, his hand moving to rest on her hip. “Let’s go,” Neji murmured to her.

Tenten smiled to herself for a second, then let Neji guide her out of the reception hall to the elevators. “I thought you said my historical facts bore people to tears,” she said as they slipped through the open doors.

Neji hit their floor number, watching her as the doors slowly slid closed. Tenten quirked an eyebrow at him. “You look like you want to say something,” she prompted, holding his gaze.

“As soon as I saw you in that dress, I wanted to take it off,” he murmured, moving next to her. He leaned into her, kissing her single-mindedly.

Tenten smiled sardonically, wrapping her arms around him. “What, this old thing?”

Neji drew back to meet her eyes, contemplative. “I like spending time with you,” he said boldly, his expression intense.

Tenten scoffed and placed an open-mouthed kiss to his throat. “You should know by now that flattery doesn’t impress me. Are you drunk, Hyuga? Too much champagne?” she whispered, reaching up to loosen his tie.

Neji shook his head and reached out, his hand cupping her neck. “Not drunk. Only captivated.” He pressed his mouth against hers softly, cradling her to him.

“A sober Neji Hyuga would never say that,” she muttered, quickly getting lost in the surge of intoxicating heat between them.

Neji pulled back suddenly, his gaze flickering from her mouth to her eyes. He smirked. “I almost forgot—you don’t have serious conversations, sober or not.”

Tenten smiled. “That’s right,” she muttered, leaning forward to kiss him. The elevator had arrived a moment before, though Tenten and Neji made no move to exit. The doors opened and closed expectantly, and Tenten finally pushed Neji away, trying to hide her grin.

Dazedly, Neji grasped Tenten’s hand, and they walked down the hallway to his hotel room.

Inside, Tenten’s minimum requirement of three bottles of champagne sat on the low coffee table. She picked one up and examined the label for a moment before popping off the cork. Some of the fizzy gold liquid spilled onto the carpet as she drank straight from the bottle, padding over to sit on the edge of the bed.

Outside, she could hear the distant sounds of revelers and music, waiting for the stroke of midnight. She felt a pang of missing Rocky and her father as she reached for the remote and switched on the TV, quickly finding the New Year’s coverage. Tenten took a big swig from the champagne bottle and made room for Neji as he joined her, clutching his own champagne.

They watched in silence as around the country people talked about their plans for the new year and celebrated with strangers. As another musical performance began by a popular singer, Tenten muted the volume, moving to rest her back against the headboard.

“Tell me why you find this to be riveting television every year,” Neji said from his prone position next to her, eyes on the screen.

Tenten settled herself deeper into the pillows, swallowing down more champagne. “It’s a tradition. Rock and I would watch with our parents every year. They would even wake us up if we fell asleep, right as the countdown started. It’s nice—for one moment you have a whole year in front of you with no mistakes. All of the things you want are possible on New Year’s Eve, before reality kicks in—before they’re not possible anymore.” Tenten winced at her transparency; she set the bottle on the bedside table.

“Our opportunities are what we make of them. Nothing’s really out of reach, if you want it badly enough,” Neji replied softly.

It caused Tenten to remember that first meeting—Neji had said something similar then. She considered him, studying the slope of his nose and the way he blinked slowly. “In my experience, the thing you want the most always turns out to be the one thing you can’t get.” She smiled to herself, mocking. “But we agreed on no serious conversations, didn’t we?”

Neji turned his face toward her as she spoke, and Tenten held his gaze, even though she could tell he was actively trying to read her. He sat up and leaned forward, kissing her. His mouth tasted sweet from the champagne. _It’s too easy_, Tenten thought to herself as Neji laid her down, his hand searching for the zipper on her dress.

She closed her eyes as they melted together, and for once, Tenten didn’t notice the ball drop, or the sound of fireworks from outside, or the sharp sadness in her chest. She and Neji had already slipped away into their own soft-edged commemoration.

* * *

“What do you want? From this year?” Neji asked, running his fingers through Tenten’s hair.

Tenten groaned, opening one eye to glimpse the hotel clock. It was after two a.m. She sighed loudly and resettled her head on Neji’s chest, sliding her hand up to grasp his bicep.

“I don’t do resolutions,” Tenten whispered back.

“That wasn’t what I was asking,” Neji replied.

Tenten hummed, trying to think clearly. They had polished off a fourth of the last champagne bottle an hour before, and had fallen into quiet, nestled together under the sheets.

Finally, she answered, “I want to graduate in a good place. I want to find a job or an internship that’s interesting. I want to travel some, if I can.” She turned her head to him, smiling softly in the dark. “Probably not near as ambitious as what you had in mind, right?”

Neji shrugged, his fingers trailing down her spine. “Who says that’s not ambitious?” he posed.

Tenten scoffed. “Something tells me your uncle was not very impressed earlier when I gave him that exact same answer.”

“Hyuga ambition is often unreasonable,” Neji said, his hand brushing her cheek, her ear. “I told you earlier not to be intimidated.”

“I wasn’t,” Tenten said, tone hardening.

Neji spread his hand along the middle of her back. “You scare me sometimes—you act like you’re not afraid of anything,” he murmured.

“That’s not true,” Tenten said, turning her head away from him. She sighed contentedly as Neji’s fingers wound their way back into her hair.

“Then tell me. What are you afraid of?” Neji asked softly.

Tenten knew she shouldn’t have this conversation—her guard was down, she was drunk, she was happy, even. Her thoughts felt slow, as if traveling from a very far distance. Uninhibited, she heard herself say, “I don’t like to lose.”

“Lose what? In games?”

“Anything. Everything. People, things, places,” Tenten muttered, shutting her eyes tightly against building tears.

Neji said nothing, brushing back her hair. After a while, clearly thinking she’d fallen asleep, Neji sat up and leaned over her. Tenten kept her eyes closed and felt a rush of pleasure and confusion as Neji’s lips brushed her cheek. He pulled away and Tenten mumbled, “Should I go back to my room now?”

She could hear the smile in his voice as he said, “I don’t want you to.”

“Your reputation is on the line, Hyuga. I’ll be damned if I’m the one to cause your family to excommunicate you,” Tenten whispered, slipping out from underneath the sheets.

She searched the floor for her clothes and quickly dressed, ignoring the way Neji’s eyes clung to her. After a second of hesitation, Tenten walked over and planted a sleepy kiss on his mouth. She stepped out into the hallway and was closing the door behind her when she heard Neji say quietly, “Happy New Year, Tenten. I hope you get everything you want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Japanese, "Haha" is the humble way to refer to one's mother, when speaking to someone else; "Chichi" is to refer to one's father. Essentially, Neji is saying, "My mother" and "My father".
> 
> "Nani" is "What" in Japanese. "Chotto matte kudasai" is "Please wait a moment".
> 
> If you're not familiar with Klimt's work, I highly suggest taking a look, especially at his golden phase.


	8. hot and cold

** _~ eight – hot and cold ~_ **

The next morning, Tenten had difficulty dragging herself out of bed. Hinata waited patiently for her, sitting on the edge of she and Hanabi’s already-made bed as Tenten got ready.

“Did you have a good evening, Tenten?” Hinata asked as they walked towards the elevator.

Tenten briefly closed her eyes—she’d woken with an intense headache that prevented her from speaking above a whisper. She grunted agreeably and wordlessly boarded the elevator, arms crossed as she leaned her head against the cool wall panel.

Tenten, even in her hungover state, was impressed by the breakfast spread prepared by the hotel. It was fancier than what she was used to; she was a frequent consumer of energy bars. Ravenous, Tenten loaded down her plate with eggs, bacon, and toast. She filled a mug with steaming black coffee and took a sip as she navigated to the table where Hinata and Hanabi were sitting.

Hanabi said, as Tenten sat down across from her, “Tenten, did you enjoy the wedding?”

Tenten nodded, gulping down more coffee. Hanabi stared at her, seemingly expecting a further response. Tenten croaked, wincing at her voice, “I haven’t been to a lot of weddings. This one was very beautiful.”

Hinata smiled at her. “Neji said that you really enjoy New Year’s Eve. Is there a reason why?”

Tenten made a face. Hinata’s gentle expression shifted, confused. “I just have a lot of memories of it with my family,” Tenten said shortly.

She was saved from further elaborating as Neji walked over and sat down. Tenten was pleased to see he looked about as hungover and irritable as she felt.

Hinata and Hanabi greeted him politely, but Neji, either because of the hangover, or because he simply didn’t care, spoke no more than two words throughout breakfast. Tenten ignored the way Hanabi’s gaze flickered between them, clearing her throat as she pushed eggs into her mouth and swallowed without chewing.

“Neji, are you and Tenten coming to father’s this afternoon? He said you were welcome to spend the rest of the break there.” Hinata asked as they finished.

Neji shook his head and drank down the rest of his coffee. “No. Tenten and I will go back home today.”

Tenten flinched at his answer, nausea resurfacing in the pit of her stomach.

Hinata pressed in her gentle tone, “Are you sure? We have a few days left of break. I’m sure father would like to spend more time with you, and get to know Tenten better, of course.”

Neji declined and stood to his feet. Tenten slowly joined him. “I’ll see you when you return to campus,” Neji said. He nodded to Hanabi and grasped Tenten’s elbow, leading her away.

They shuffled through the motions of packing up their things in Neji’s car and checking out from the hotel. The drive back to campus was spent in comfortable, hangover-induced silence.

A couple of hours later, as they were walking back into the yellow townhome, Rocky called. Tenten walked outside and hovered on the porch, her jacket pulled tight around her. “Happy New Year, Rock,” she said, smiling tiredly.

“Happy New Year, Tennie,” Rocky said, grinning. “Did you see the ball drop?”

Tenten forced a smile. “Yep! I really liked the design they chose this year.”

“Dad and I had mixed feelings about it.” Rocky shrugged. “We miss you. It’s not the same when we’re not together.”

Tenten heard Neji open the door, and she moved to keep him out of frame. He raised an eyebrow at her as he passed, going to his car. “I know, Rock. We’ll see each other at graduation though.”

Rocky frowned. “That’s months away, Tenten. Sometimes I wonder if you even really miss me and Dad.”

Tenten grimaced. “Rock, that’s not fair. You know I’m busy.”

“I guess,” Rocky answered, unconvinced. “We wonder though—are you busy, or avoiding us?”

Tenten’s mouth tightened in frustration. “Rock,” she said sternly, “we’re living on opposite sides of the globe. It’s natural that you don’t know all of the details of my life.”

“I know that,” Rocky defended tensely. “But even some details would help us feel closer—like who did you spend New Year’s with? Was it that Neji guy you mentioned?”

Tenten blanched, her eyes flickering to Neji, standing not three feet away. Neji glanced at her at the mention of his name, expectant.

Rocky, not missing this, asked, “Are you with him right now? Can I say hello?”

Tenten clenched her jaw angrily for a moment before snapping, “No, you cannot. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Come on, Tennie. I won’t embarrass you,” Rocky stated excitedly.

Tenten shook her head once and ended the video call, leaning against the porch railing with a heavy sigh. She pressed her fingertips to her eyes. Tenten heard Neji shut the car door and step back onto the porch. She imagined him smirking and exhaled.

“I don’t know whether to be flattered or worried that you talk to your brother about me,” Neji said.

Tenten popped open one eye to glare at him. “You should be neither. It’s only by accident that he knows you exist. By the way, you have no business talking to me about Hinata.”

“I think I’ll choose to be flattered,” Neji said, ignoring her statement. “I make a good impression. You should have let me introduce myself.”

“I don’t care if you can make a good impression,” Tenten retorted with a roll of her eyes. “And I definitely do not want to introduce you to my brother.”

Neji studied her for a long moment, trying to decipher her meaning. Finally, his expression eased with clarity. He reached out and touched her shoulder, guiding her back into the house. “I see—this is a self-preservation measure. You don’t want me to learn your deepest, most embarrassing secrets.”

Tenten did not correct him.

* * *

The last few days of Christmas break, Tenten and Neji fell into an easy, circular repose of eating diner food and packaged ramen, watching TV, and having leisurely sex in Neji’s room. The night before classes began again, Tenten finally returned to her dorm room to see that it wasn’t empty.

“Where the fuck have you been, Ten?” were the first words Tenten heard as she stepped inside.

Tenten pushed the door open and let out a thrilled yell, hugging Ino fiercely around the neck. “It’s about time you got back,” Tenten said, happily staring at her friend. “I thought you were going to stay in Italy another term.”

“No—the boys wanted me to, but my dad said he’d kill me if I spent another semester skipping class to eat pasta.” Ino pushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at Tenten. “You’re not going to distract me. I’ve been back for a whole day already and you were nowhere! Where were you?”

Tenten turned away, hiding the blush that had risen to her cheeks. “When did you get back? You should have texted me,” she said, attempting to sidestep the subject.

The smugness in Ino’s voice was palpable as she continued smoothly, “So, you’re fucking Neji Hyuga, huh?”

Tenten rolled her eyes, hopping up to sit on the edge of her bed. “That’s some assumption you just drew. Let me guess, you and Sakura placed a bet and you’re hoping you’ve won.”

Ino sniffed, unconcerned. “Sakura owes me fifty bucks and I’ll be damned if I don’t get it back by Spring Break.” Ino returned to sorting through her laundry. She continued archly, “So. What’s the deal?”

Warily, Tenten frowned. “With what?”

“Come on, Ten, don’t play games. You were awful tightlipped last semester—I only know anything because of Sakura, who, let’s face it, is not a reliable source for much of anything.”

Tenten sighed loudly, clutching her pillow to her chest. “There’s no deal. It’s . . . casual. We’re hanging out.”

Ino’s eyebrows went up in surprise, but she waited a beat before saying, “That’s fun. Is he a good kisser?”

Tenten nodded, not trusting herself to share more details.

“I’m proud of you, Ten. You’ve spent three years moping around, going to class, doing all of your homework—and now look, you’ve bloomed into a sexy senior, just like I’d always hoped you would.”

Tenten rolled her eyes, though she felt a rush of affection for her friend. “Ino, did you bring me back any gelato?”

Ino wrinkled her nose. “No, but I did bring you this.” The blonde rummaged through her bag before withdrawing a small glass bottled with amber liquid.

Tenten uncapped the perfume and sprayed it once on her wrist, sniffing deeply. The scent was subtle—clean and light, like rain or honey or sunshine. It reminded her of Neji, which is why Tenten quietly opened her desk drawer and dropped it in, not sparing it a second thought.

* * *

That first week of spring semester made Tenten quickly realize that although she no longer had statistics, her last few months of university would be anything but easy. Not only did she have to select her senior thesis topic and begin her research, Tenten was strapped with complicated history classes also. She was pleased with her classes—it was simply the sheer amount of reading and writing that was weighing heavily on her mind.

By Friday, Tenten had made her usual trip to the bookstore and was walking back to her dorm, arms loaded down with her reading for the next month. It was a briskly cold January afternoon. Halfway to her dorm, Tenten’s phone began to ring in her coat pocket.

“Dammit,” she muttered, assuming it was Rocky. They hadn’t spoken since she’d hung up on him almost a week ago, and Tenten had been too proud to reach out. She’d been waiting for him to call. Struggling with the load in her arms, Tenten tried to shift the stack of books to one arm, but they quickly slipped out and tumbled to the sidewalk.

Sighing loudly, Tenten left them there and retrieved her phone. It wasn’t Rocky, but her father.

“Tennie!” he greeted.

“Dad,” Tenten said, smiling.

“I wanted to call and tell you the good news!”

Tenten raised her eyebrows and crouched, beginning to stack her books neatly on top of each other. “What news?”

“Rocky has been offered a movie role! We signed the contract this morning!”

Tenten stared at her father, genuinely surprised. Rocky had done commercials and music videos before, of course, but this was the first time he’d ever been offered something that would shoot longer than a week. “That’s amazing!” she exclaimed, sitting back on her heels.

“Yes! He is very excited. It’ll be a martial arts film, of course, and it’s a small role, but he’ll have a script to memorize lines!”

Tenten grinned. “Dad, that’s great. Where’s Rock? I want to congratulate him.”

“He’s still speaking with the casting director. Production starts in a few months, out in LA. Rocky and I were thinking we could all go together.”

“To LA? Dad, I’m still in school.”

“It will be after graduation,” Maito assured. “We could come pick you up and go out to LA together. It would be nice to spend time together as a family, especially since you’ll be finished with school.”

Tenten chewed on a fingernail. “But I have to get a job?”

“I’m sure you could find something in LA—it’s a big city with lots of opportunities. And Rocky and I were thinking that if this movie takes off, more roles could become available. We could rent a house, live the California lifestyle. . .”

Tenten smiled at her father, shaking her head. “Seems like you’ve got our whole lives figured out, Baba.”

Maito shrugged, his eyes filling with emotion. “I think it could be a good start. A fresh start. Ever since Mama died—well, I think we’ve all tried to slip away from her memory, in our own way.”

Tenten blinked and began to tuck her books underneath her arm. She got back to her feet and said brusquely, “I don’t know if I can go to LA. My semester just started—what if I get a job offer or an internship between now and graduation?”

Maito considered her, frowning. He said slowly, “Tennie, of course you should pursue your prospects. Rocky and I just thought it would be nice to spend the summer together, at least.”

At Tenten’s distant expression, Maito amended, “We don’t have to decide now. Let’s see what the next few months bring.”

Tenten nodded and bade her father goodbye, stomping up the stairs to her dorm.

* * *

“I trust everyone had a good Christmas break?”

There was a general murmur of assent as everyone broke away from their conversations to give Neji their attention. It was the first ASA meeting of the new semester, and according to what Neji had outlined with Tenten, it was going to be a doozy.

Without preamble, Neji launched into his fundraising pitch, consulting his notes in front of him. “We have less than four months to get our Asian night market event fully funded. We have to pay a small fee to the university to use the gym. There’s also advertising, decorations, food, music. . . Shikamaru, how much money did we have left over from last year?”

Shikamaru, who had looked on the verge of falling asleep, sat up straighter and sighed, pulling out his phone. “We had a little over seven hundred dollars.”

“Our current budget for this end-of-year event is around five thousand dollars. We raised some money last semester from the speakers we had, but these next few months will be important in making sure our expenses are covered. On Friday we’ll be selling meal tickets for our Asian-inspired lunch day in the cafeteria in February. I expect all of you to show up and volunteer and persuade people to buy tickets. In addition to that, we’re going to reach out to local businesses for sponsorships or donations. If you have any connections into the community, now would be the time to use them.”

Miss Kato stood up to organize logistics and take additional questions before dismissing everyone. Tenten sighed and leaned back in her chair, yawning; her night was only starting—she still had at least fifty pages of reading to do before her lecture tomorrow.

“I’ve barely seen you since classes started back,” Neji said, walking over.

Tenten looked up at him and smiled wanly. “I’ve been catching up with Ino, and I have a ton of reading this semester, plus my thesis.”

“You decided on a topic?” Neji asked, sitting down in the desk next to her.

Tenten nodded proudly. “It’s going to be about the urbanization of the Chinese family.”

“That sounds ambitious,” Neji said, matching her smile.

“My advisor said if it’s not causing me a constant feeling of anxiety, it’s not a good enough topic to spend a whole semester researching. I’m excited about it though.”

“I’m excited to read it, when you’re finished.” Neji’s gaze shifted to the emptying classroom. “How did you think this meeting went?”

Tenten shrugged. “I think we won’t really know the answer until Friday when we start selling tickets.”

Neji exhaled, grimacing. “By the way—are you free this Saturday?”

Warily, Tenten considered him. “For what?”

“I want you to come with me to some local businesses and ask for sponsorship.”

Tenten frowned. “Why can’t you take Sakura? Or Shikamaru? I have a ton of work to do this weekend.”

“You know how to persuade people better than I do.” Neji paused, then added, “And I want to go with you.”

Tenten rolled her eyes. “That’s not as flattering as you think it is.”

“It won’t take long,” Neji continued. “I’ll buy you lunch.”

Tenten sighed loudly. “Fine. But you better be ready to shell out—no fucking turkey sandwiches this time.”

Neji smirked and agreed.

* * *

“Did you and Hyuga bone?”

It was Friday afternoon, and Tenten was hovering over their small cash box. She looked at Sakura with wide eyes. “Excuse me?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

Sakura was gazing across the quad where Neji and a group of ASA underclassmen were stopping students, her mouth hidden behind a large scarf.

“He keeps looking over here like you’re a snack he’s going to eat later,” Sakura explained, her eyes narrowed in amusement.

_Well, she’s not **wrong**_, Tenten thought, pushing down her apprehension. Aloud, she said indifferently, “He’s probably checking to make sure we’re doing our job.” She turned to consult their meal tickets.

Sakura crossed her arms, smiling impishly. “Are you sure you haven’t tapped that? He’s smart, you’re smart. He’s hot, you’re hot. You’re forced to spend an inordinate amount of time together—it would be completely natural to have some fun together.”

Tenten rolled her eyes, sighing loudly. “We’re friends who can barely stand each other most of the time.”

Sakura shrugged, but she didn’t look convinced. She rearranged her scarf around her neck, staring at Tenten. “So, you wouldn’t care if he went out with someone else?”

Tenten raised an eyebrow, surprised. “_You_ want to ask out Neji?”

“No, dumbass. I overheard some of the underclassmen talking about how they wanted to ask him out.”

“Oh. Well, good for them,” Tenten said, distractedly trying to catch a passing group of girls’ attention.

“You don’t care at all?” Sakura prompted.

The girls smiled at Tenten but brushed past her without stopping. “Why should I?” Tenten responded, frustrated.

“I’m surprised is all. Especially after I found you guys in that closet on Halloween.”

Tenten whirled to Sakura, placing a hand on her hip. “Will you let that go? For the thousandth time, I was plastered that night.”

Sakura smiled devilishly, but said nothing, her gaze shifting again to the group across the quad. “He seriously can’t stop looking over here,” she said offhandedly, shaking her head.

Tenten glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough, Neji was watching them. “Dammit,” Tenten cursed, tossing her meal ticket sheets on the card table. Without another word to Sakura, Tenten marched across the quad quickly, towards Neji and his group.

When she arrived, she quickly grasped Neji’s sleeve and tugged him with her, saying in a sugar sweet tone, “Can I talk to you for a minute?” Tenten pulled him a few feet away from their setup then faced him, trying to ignore the curious glances of the other ASA members. In a low tone, Tenten hissed, “Stop looking the fuck over at us.”

“You’re not engaging enough people,” Neji stated, his face impassive.

“Sakura thinks you’re checking me out. So, stop,” Tenten snapped.

A small, impish smirk moved its way onto Neji’s mouth. “That’s not something I can help. Your approach is . . . entertaining to watch, to say the least.”

Tenten refused to indulge him. She stuck a finger into his chest. “Hyuga, be a professional, okay? You’re putting me in a compromising situation.”  
Neji opened his mouth to retort something salacious, but Tenten immediately anticipated it, poking him hard in the chest. “Don’t you dare.”

Neji rolled his eyes, swatting away her hand. “Fine.” His expression shifted back into blankness. “By the way, these underclassmen had some questions about ASA charters, so I’ll be joining them for dinner tonight to talk through it.”

Tenten hid her smirk and nodded. “Alright. Have fun.” She turned to walk away, and shot Neji a death glare over her shoulder, her warning clear in her gaze. His mouth struggled against a grin.

* * *

**Hyuga (12:48): ** _Can I come by?_

Tenten pursed her lips and texted back a quick response. She carefully pushed away her textbooks, trying not to make a noise since Ino was sleeping. Yawning, Tenten checked the clock and pulled on a sweatshirt. It was almost one a.m.—which meant Neji had either just gotten done with his ASA “meeting”, or he really wanted to make out.

**Hyuga (12:50):** _Outside._

Tenten grabbed her keys and quietly slipped out of the dorm, her footsteps echoing in the hallway. She found Neji sitting at the bottom of the stairs, his breath foggy. He looked up at her as she came out, but Tenten couldn’t place his expression. Without a word, she sat down next to him, tucking her bare legs underneath her sweatshirt.

“Apparently, I was on a date tonight,” Neji told her slowly, seeming mystified.

Tenten covered her mouth to hide her smile; Sakura had been right. “Oh?” she said, muffled through her sweatshirt sleeve. “Who was the lucky girl?”

“Girls,” Neji said, shooting her a baffled glance. “As in, plural. All of them from the ASA event today.” Neji sighed and ran a hand down his face tiredly. “It was taxing.”

“Come on. I bet it wasn’t that bad. You had a bunch of freshmen fawning all over you—that’s every guy’s dream!”

“Not mine,” Neji replied firmly, shaking his head. “It was awkward.”

“When did you realize you were on a date with all of them?” Tenten asked.

“About a third of the way through—when they started asking me personal questions.”

Tenten snorted. “God, Hyuga. You really need to work on reading social situations.”

“I hope they don’t quit the association,” Neji muttered.

“They won’t,” Tenten assured factually, rubbing her legs briskly. “Even if you rejected all of them, they won’t pass up a chance to burn with unrequited passion in your presence.”

Neji’s mouth quirked. “’Burn with unrequited passion’? How poetic.”

Tenten shrugged a shoulder. “What can I say? I’m absorbing it through osmosis, with all the books I’m having to read for class.”

Neji reached out and grasped her chin, kissing her softly on the lips. His arms encircled around her, and Tenten nuzzled herself into his chest. “You’re warm,” she said blissfully, shivering.

Neji pulled her to her feet, and they walked to his car. Once inside, Neji turned the heater onto full blast. Sighing gratefully at the increase in temperature, Tenten let Neji pull her onto his lap.

His hands slipped under her sweatshirt, and Tenten shivered again, for an entirely different reason.

“For the record,” Neji said against Tenten’s lips, his eyes finding hers in the dark, “I _was_ checking you out today.”

Tenten rolled her eyes and pulled off her sweatshirt, pleased to see that this was distraction enough to silence him.

* * *

The next day, Tenten and Neji drove around town, discussing sponsorship with small businesses. By the afternoon, they had one restaurant that had agreed to cater, and five businesses that had pledged a monetary donation.

“That went well,” Neji said. “Though I think we got that one place to cater only because of you.”

Tenten sat back in the passenger seat, smug. “I possess a natural charm, it’s true,” she agreed.

Neji maneuvered the car into a free spot outside the diner they frequented. It was warm inside, and Tenten sighed with relief as she shed her coat, settling into a booth.

“How are your brother and father?” Neji asked after they’d ordered.

“Good.” She hesitated for a moment, then said, “Rocky got a movie role.”

Neji raised his eyebrows. “Is that common?”

“No—he’s done commercials before, but nothing as big as a movie. He and my dad will be coming back from Singapore to film in LA in a few months.”

“How long has it been? Since you’ve seen them?”

Tenten tapped her finger on the table, thinking. “God—I don’t know. Probably since last April? That’s when they went to Singapore.”

“Do you miss having them nearby?” Neji asked.

Tenten pursed her lips, her openness fading quickly. “Sure. But I understand that they’re busy. They like to keep a demanding schedule.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” Neji replied, smiling softly. “Will you . . . join them in LA?”

Tenten took a sip of her drink and shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet. I might have a job by then.” She raised an eyebrow. “Have you adjusted to the idea of Japan?”

Neji jerked his head, noncommittal. “I’ve resigned myself to make the most of it,” he replied shortly.

Tenten searched his face. “Why do you do that?” she asked.

“What?”

Tenten gestured to him, shaking her head slightly. “Let other people make your decisions for you.”

Neji blinked, staring at her. “I don’t.”

“Oh, yeah? Your uncle and your grandparents told you what your plans were after graduation—they didn’t ask you. Did you even want to go into business, or is that something they told you to pursue too?”

Neji’s eyes narrowed, his expression growing guarded. “They didn’t bully me into my major, if that’s what you’re implying. I’ve always wanted to work for my uncle, just not this soon after graduation.”

Tenten’s eyes widened in skepticism. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Neji answered, considering her. He opened his mouth to continue, but their food arrived, and they both fell silent as they ate.

After they finished, Neji tried to restart the conversation, but Tenten was impenetrable, her expression closed. When they arrived at her dorm a short few minutes later, Neji switched off the car, turning to look at her.

“Did I upset you?” he asked quietly, watching as Tenten placed her hand on the door handle.

Tenten shook her head. Neji waited for her to explain, but Tenten merely checked her watch and turned to him, an eyebrow raised in question. “Do you want to come in? Ino’s probably out.”

Neji gazed at her, unsure. Tenten remained tightlipped, waiting for his answer. Finally, Neji unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car, trailing behind her.


	9. spring break

** _~ nine – spring break ~_ **

Around mid-February, Tenten began to feel the beginnings of a senior itch that she couldn’t scratch. Her reading for class was constant, and when she wasn’t preparing for her class lectures or holed up in the library researching for her thesis, she was working on the ASA event for May. Neji had grown relentless about fundraising—so much so that Miss Kato had to tell him to back off at their most recent meeting, when they’d gone over how much money they’d made from the Asian lunch they’d held.

“If we don’t make enough money, we won’t be able to pull off the event that’s been planned for,” Neji had said brusquely to Tenten afterwards, on their way to the library.

Tenten had merely patted his arm, smiling to herself at his fuming. “Neji, if we don’t make enough money, all we have to do is set up a booth in the corner, and I’ll strip tease for the cash. We’ll make up the difference in no time,” she’d muttered, grinning at the livid expression he shot her.

“Very amusing,” he’d snapped, clearly annoyed as he threw an arm over her shoulders.

* * *

Ino, though a member of the ASA, was concerned with other matters. “Ten, what are we going to do for Spring Break? I vote we hit the clubs every night, then take a beach day right before we have to come back.”

“Ino, I don’t do the clubbing thing,” Tenten responded, chewing on the end of a pencil as she gazed at her thesis. “Too sweaty.”

“You have to go at least once! This is our last chance to do this together!” the blonde complained, sorting through her clothes for appropriate clubbing outfits. “It’d be fun to go for your birthday, since it’s during Spring Break this year.”

“That’s the last thing I want to do for my birthday,” Tenten mumbled.

“Hey,” Ino said sharply, coming over to stare down at her, “as your friend, you owe me one fun night of celebration. Come on—we’ll go get plastered, dance a little, flirt a little, then come home and sleep the rest of the day. It’ll be fun.”

Tenten sighed and nodded once, resigned. Ino let out a squeal and leaned down to hug her quickly. “Thanks, Ten. You won’t regret it. I’ll buy you so many shots you’ll forget you never wanted to come!”

“Better bring your wallet then,” Tenten said back, refocusing on her laptop, “because that’s going to be a lot of shots.”

* * *

March arrived with milder weather and a renewed sense of panic. Midterms were held right before Spring Break, causing campus-wide tension, most intensely felt in the library. The hurried rustling of pages and the frenetic whispers of students studying swished around Tenten and Neji’s table as they studied. Tenten did her best to block out the noise, listening to music through her headphones. She had lost track of how long she and Neji had been in the library, and she glanced out the window to see it was twilight. Outside, she watched clumps of students cheerfully walk into the evening, clearly free from their own midterms. Tenten sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly and glanced back down at her book, the words swimming on the page.

After a moment, she felt Neji’s gaze on her and she looked up. Neji was gazing at her steadily, his eyes piercing.

“What?” Tenten whispered.

Neji shook his head, but stood up from his chair, jerking his head to get Tenten to follow him. Slightly confused, Tenten took out her headphones and followed after Neji. He led her to a secluded area of the library she had rarely ventured to—a section where old newspaper articles and encyclopedias were housed. Half of the overhead lights were dark—clearly blown and overlooked by the library’s maintenance crew.

“Neji, what—?” Tenten asked.

Neji turned and grasped Tenten’s hand, leading her down the rows of darkened shelves until they reached a dead-end. Neji leaned back against a small space of wall between two shelves, and pulled Tenten close, letting go of her hand to clutch her hips. He leaned down and kissed her fervidly, breathing her in.

Tenten felt her tension melt away, throwing her arms around his neck as Neji held her tighter, his lips moving desperately against her own.

Tenten’s heart began to race—this kiss was different than all the others they’d shared over the past few months. It made Tenten feel like she was drowning. Neji seemed incapable of pausing to take a breath. His mouth floated over her jaw, her neck, her collarbone—probing and nipping her skin. Tenten grasped the back of his neck and closed her eyes, breathing roughly as she felt more and more dizzy. When he thrust up her shirt, exposing her stomach, Tenten hurriedly pushed him away.

“Let’s go,” she exhaled, pressing her swollen lips together as she pulled her shirt back down. She grabbed Neji’s hand and walked back to their table, her cheeks growing warmer as she mindlessly shoved her books into her bag.

Seconds later, she and Neji breezed out of the library and made their way to Tenten’s dorm. Neji couldn’t stop touching her. His hand moved from the small of her back, to her waist, to the back of her neck. Tenten felt intoxicated; each touch felt like a surge of adrenaline. They arrived at her door and Tenten hurriedly unlocked it. As soon as they were inside, Neji lifted Tenten up and held her against the door, his lips intensely meeting hers.

Her body burned with each new kiss, and Tenten clung to Neji tightly, gasping. “Bed,” she muttered to him.

Neji carried her to her mattress, and Tenten kept her legs wrapped around Neji’s torso, her hands pushing into his hair. She felt Neji take off her shirt, then unbutton her jeans. She shivered at the feel of his hands on her chest, on her thighs.

“Come here,” she moaned, pulling her legs up onto the mattress. She caught the expression in Neji’s eyes as he climbed up beside her, and it sent an involuntary shiver across her skin. He looked more serious than she had ever seen him before, his fixed gaze dark with want. He hovered over her, drinking her in. After a moment, he leaned forward and kissed her, agonizingly slow. It was a kiss Tenten felt all the way to her toes. She sighed heavily and let herself finally slip underneath the wave of building pressure, whispering Neji’s name.

* * *

Afterwards, Tenten hummed to herself, her mouth twisted into a wicked smile. “I request a birthday secret,” she said, crouching by the refrigerator to retrieve a bottled water.

Neji stared at her from her bed, smirking. “What the hell is a ‘birthday secret’?”

“A birthday secret is a secret that must be completely, one hundred percent honest—and it must be about the birthday girl.” Tenten stuck a thumb at her chest. “Which would be me, on this occasion.”

“You’re saying it has to be a secret about you? That I think about you?” Neji asked, brow furrowing.

Tenten shook her head. “No, I don’t want character sketches. It has to be something you’ve done with me or thought about me, something secret.” She grinned widely.

Neji sighed, shaking his head. “You look like you just swallowed a canary.”

Tenten raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Maybe I did.”

Neji leaned back against the wall, gazing at her. After a few moments he exhaled slowly.

“Got one?” Tenten prompted eagerly.

Neji nodded, unable to keep the small smile off his lips. “Will birthday secrets stay secret?” he asked.

“Yes. I won’t tell a soul.” Tenten crossed herself for extra measure, and tensed, waiting expectantly for Neji to spill the beans.

With a pained expression, Neji finally said, “You were my first time.”

With a loud sigh, Tenten uncapped the water and took a swig, rolling her eyes. “God, you’re so full of shit. Why does everything have to be a joke, Hyuga?”

Neji was silent, and Tenten watched him suspiciously. The faint blush on his cheeks made her gasp. “You can’t be serious,” she breathed. “Really?”

Neji closed his eyes, fully embarrassed, and nodded. Tenten walked quickly to the bed, peering at him closely. “Neji, there’s no way—are you _sure_? _Really_ sure?”

“I hope you realize you’re making this ten times worse for me,” Neji said, opening his eyes to treat her to an annoyed stare. “I was never going to tell you that.”

“Then why did you! You could have come up with anything!”

“You said it had to be one hundred percent honest,” Neji deadpanned. “That was honest.”

Tenten stared at him, at a loss. “But . . . that was . . . I mean, Neji, I had no idea!”

Some of the tension left Neji’s shoulders and he smiled. “Thank you,” he said, sounding genuinely pleased to hear that.

“How did you—”

“Tenten, come on.”

“What! I’m really surprised! My first time was _not_ like that. At all.” Tenten shook her head.

“I’ve heard it’s different for men and women. At least—functionally.”

Tenten smiled wryly. “Yes, Neji, good job. God, you lucky asshole. Wait—does that mean you didn’t have any condoms that day?”

Neji blanched, making a face. “I was hoping you had forgotten that.”

Tenten’s eyes widened in surprise. “Did you _run_ and go _buy_ condoms to have sex with me that day?”

Neji closed his eyes again, sighing loudly. Stunned, Tenten squeezed Neji’s knees. “This is the best birthday present I’ve ever received,” she declared, mystified.

“Alright. That’s enough.” Neji eyed her and said seriously, “You owe me one now.”

Tenten frowned. “It’s not your birthday. I don’t owe you a birthday secret.”

“Fine,” Neji said easily, shrugging. “Then tell me a regular secret. A good one, since I’ve been embarrassed so thoroughly tonight.” He reached out and began tracing the back of her hands.

Tenten smiled and leaned towards him. She knew just the one. “My first kiss was my brother.”

Neji’s fingers stilled, and he gazed down at her, a look of palpable disgust on his features. “You’re joking,” he said.

Tenten chuckled and shook her head. “I wish. When I was around ten, I figured out the difference between biological parents and adopted parents. And well, I thought Rocky was really cool. So, one day, after school while we were waiting at the bus stop, I just walked right up and kissed him.”

“I hope your parents sent you to therapy for that one,” Neji said.

Tenten grinned. “Don’t worry. It never happened again. And for what it’s worth, you’re a _way_ better kisser than he is.”

Neji gazed at her like he wanted to throw up. “You are gross,” Neji professed, shifting to lay down on top of Tenten’s bed.

Tenten smiled and pulled herself up, laying down on top of him. “Damn right I am,” she whispered, and leaned in to kiss him.

* * *

Later, Tenten turned her head to glance at Neji, who was half-asleep lying next to her. She listened to his steady breathing, trying to push through the fogginess the sex had left in her head. She’d texted Ino a quick message to stay away from the room, and Ino had sent back an obnoxious kiss emoji before Tenten switched her phone to silent.

This time had been different than all the others. Not just the sex—everything had felt sharper, more distinct, more rushed, more desperate. Tenten felt her chest thrum with it, resonating through her whole body.

On the floor, a chime sounded, growing louder in volume as it went unanswered. Neji opened his eyes and glanced at Tenten, bleary-eyed, before looking at the floor.

“Shit,” he muttered, getting out of bed.

“What?” Tenten asked.

Neji hurriedly began to put on his clothes, stooping to turn off the alarm on his phone. “I forgot I have a tutoring session tonight.”

“Neji, seriously?” Tenten said, sitting up.

He sent her a look filled with regret. “His midterm is tomorrow,” Neji explained. “I can’t not show up.”

He finished putting his stuff together, then hesitated before reaching into his bag to withdraw a single white envelope. He held it up for her consideration. “This is your birthday present.”

“Give it here; I’ll open it now.”

Neji shook his head. “This isn’t a present you can open now. You have to wait until graduation.”

Tenten scoffed loudly. “What kind of birthday present is that, Hyuga? It better be good if I have to wait another two whole months for it.”

“It’ll be worth it,” Neji assured, walking over to Tenten and kissing her quickly on the lips. He opened one of her desk drawers and dropped it inside, shooting Tenten a glance. “Promise you won’t open it?”

Tenten huffed but nodded. Neji smiled and said, pausing at the door, “I can come back later if you want.”

Tenten shook her head and waved. “No, go home. I’ll see you around.”

Neji smirked at her and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. Tenten fell back onto her pillow and pushed down the unease in her gut, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

True to her word, the next day, with her midterms behind her, Tenten agreed to accompany Ino to a club.

“Wear this,” Ino said, thrusting a short green dress into Tenten’s hands. “You’ll look hot in it.”

Tenten sighed, considering it. “Ino, I was going to wear my own clothes.”

“Don’t argue with me, Ten. If I’m paying for shots, then you’ll wear whatever I tell you to.”

Rolling her eyes, Tenten obediently put the dress on, pulling the hem down. “It’s going to ride up,” she complained, studying her reflection in their mirror.

“That’s the point, Ten. Just trust me, okay?” Ino slithered into a strapless, purple sequined dress, pushing her hair over her shoulder. “Now sit down and let me fix your hair.”

Frowning, Tenten sat in her desk chair, wincing as Ino yanked out her hair ties. She reached for her phone and noticed Neji had texted her.

**Hyuga (7:47):** _Dinner?_

Tenten sent back quickly: _Can’t. Sorry. Ino and I are going out clubbing for my birthday._

A moment later, her phone buzzed. **Hyuga (7:50):** _You? In a club?_

Tenten smiled to herself.

“Neji’s cool with you going, right?” Ino asked over her shoulder, tone reserved.

Tenten pushed her phone away, setting it facedown. “I didn’t ask his permission,” Tenten scoffed. “It’s not like that between us.”

“God, someone’s touchy. Tell him he can have birthday sex with you tomorrow, after we have some fun tonight.”

Tenten’s words flew out of her mouth before she could check them. “Have you ever slept with someone and felt like. . . I don’t know . . . like you were drowning?”

Ino hummed thoughtfully, ridding Tenten’s hair of knots. “You mean with a blowjob? God, yes.”

Tenten flushed crimson. “No,” she snapped. “I mean like—it’s so . . . heavy you feel like you can’t catch your breath.”

Ino reached behind her and grasped a few bobby pins, gathering Tenten’s hair to one side. “I had sex with Sai like that once. It still makes my toes curl, thinking about it.”

Tenten mulled this over, wondering.

After a moment, still sliding pins into Tenten’s hair, Ino asked carefully, “You sure you still wanna go? I’d understand if you’d rather hang out with Neji.”

“Trying to get out of buying me shots, huh?” Tenten posed, smirking.

Ino jabbed a pin into Tenten’s scalp; Tenten cursed, wincing. “Don’t get smart with me, birthday girl.”

* * *

The club Ino had selected wasn’t far from campus. By the time they arrived, close to eleven, the parking lot was already crowded. Inside, Tenten and Ino headed straight to the bar, where Ino slapped down a wad of bills and announced to the bartender, “Shots! Straight tequila and keep them coming!”

Clinking glasses, Tenten and Ino grinned and went round for round until both girls were giggly and loose. They were joined not long after by Sakura and Naruto, whom Ino had invited to come along. As Sakura and Ino got into a tiff over who was wearing the better outfit, Tenten struck up a conversation with Naruto, who was looking decidedly dejected.

“How are things going with Hinata?” Tenten asked, tipping back another shot.

“I can’t tell,” Naruto said dully, moving his beer around in a circle. “We had a good time ice skating, and we text almost every day, but it’s impossible to hang out with her alone.”

Tenten considered this for a moment. “Well, there’s nothing like a club to get closer to someone, you know?”

Naruto met her gaze with a confused expression. “What do you mean?”

Tenten swept her arm over the crowded floor of dancers, nearly clocking someone in the head. “Your problem is that you’re trying too hard to make it happen. What you need is to relax—and this is the place to do it. The music is too loud to have to talk—all you have to do is hold her close!”

Naruto looked skeptical, and Tenten clapped him on the shoulder heavily, blinking slowly. “Trust me. If you invite Hinata to come clubbing, I swear you’ll leave with her as your girlfriend.”

“Is that all you have to do?” said a voice from behind her. Tenten peered over her shoulder to see the guy she’d almost knocked out a moment before. He possessed a rapacious smile, his eyes gleaming. “I’d test that theory.”

Tenten smirked back. “Oh, yeah?” she challenged. Tenten swallowed down another glass and pulled him into the crowd. “Then let’s go.”

* * *

Tenten liked not having to talk. She shimmied against the guy from the bar, her head pounding and dizzy from the club music and tequila. Her dress stuck to her body, drenched in sweat. She felt him rest his head in the crook of her shoulder, his mouth hot on her neck. Without a second thought, Tenten turned her head and kissed him, closing her eyes against the flashing lights. His grip tightened on her hips, and his tongue slipped confidently into her mouth.

A moment later, the sensation ended abruptly. Tenten felt him spin away from her and she opened her eyes, staggering a little. Tenten’s eyes widened as she laid eyes on Neji, holding the guy by the elbow, his expression unmistakably furious.

“Neji,” Tenten said loudly, trying to be heard above the music.

Neji glared at her, and Tenten fought the impulse to run and get lost in the middle of the partiers on the floor. “What the hell are you doing?” Neji asked her, sounding far calmer than he looked.

“Nothing,” Tenten answered quickly. “Dancing,” she added, blinking fast to clear her muddled head. _God, why am I so drunk right now?_

Neji raised an eyebrow. The guy shook Neji off, now looking at Tenten suspiciously. “What’s the problem?” he asked. “Is this your boyfriend?”

Tenten swiftly shook her head. “No.”

Neji’s face shifted from fury to something else—something deeper that Tenten could not place right away.

The guy turned to look up at Neji, and said smugly, “What’s your problem, man? You’re interrupting.”

Neji ignored him, staring at Tenten with a hard expression. Tenten opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. After a pause, Neji turned on his heel and strode off, his steps fast. Tenten watched him leave, blushing furiously when she noticed Hinata glancing in her direction before following after Neji. Tenten bit her lip and started following them, saying over her shoulder, “I’ll be right back.”

Tenten pushed past her friends, ignoring their questions and avoiding their surprised looks. She shook off Sakura’s hands as she tried to grab her shoulder. “Tenten, what’s going—?”

“Just leave me the fuck alone,” Tenten snapped, wrenching herself free.

She pushed through the crowd by the bar until she burst out into the club parking lot. She saw Hinata speaking to Neji next to their car a few yards away, the younger girl holding out her hands soothingly. Neji’s face was contorted, angry and pained. Tenten felt her stomach clench in discomfort.

“Neji!” she called out as she trotted over to them, stumbling a little in her shoes. “Fuck,” she muttered, bending down to free her feet before she broke her ankle.

Hinata and Neji watched her as she walked over. Hinata said, “Tenten, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be here right now.”

“No,” Tenten retorted sharply, staring at Neji. “If Neji has something he wants to say, he can say it to my face.”

There was silence as Neji held Tenten’s gaze, and Hinata glanced between them. Finally, Hinata sighed and said softly, “Alright. I’ll give you some space.” She brushed past Tenten and headed back towards the club.

Once she was out of earshot, Tenten said, “What kind of stunt are you pulling? Marching around telling people what to do? We aren’t together! You had no right to come over and act like that!”

Neji shook his head, stony-faced. “I’m so fucking stupid.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Tenten screeched. “I haven’t pretended anything with you!”

“This whole time, you were just using me, weren’t you? For the tutoring, and then the sex. I can’t believe I didn’t see it.” Neji looked ill.

Tenten’s unease twisted violently. “Neji, we’re friends, okay? Everything we did, I did because I wanted to. I wasn’t using you for anything,” Tenten said, trying to be composed.

“Yeah? So, you’re really trying to tell me that you weren’t using me to eke out your sexual appetite? Is that what you’re saying?”

Tenten clenched her jaw. “Yes.”

“Then explain to me how you can fuck me not even a day ago, and then make out with some stranger in the middle of a club tonight. Help me understand what that means.”

“I’m not your girlfriend, Neji,” Tenten said tersely, peering up at him, bleary-eyed. “I was never your girlfriend. I can fuck and make out with whoever I want, and you don’t get to tell me what to do.”

Neji’s face drooped, his palpable anger shifting to sadness. Tenten’s heart panged with a heavy ache. “Tell me something,” Neji said softly, his voice almost a whisper. “All this time we’ve spent together, all those things I told you about me and my family—it didn’t mean anything to you? Was I just wasting my breath? When I took you to the wedding—how could you not see what I felt? What did you think I had been doing this whole time? Did you know and not care? Am I only someone you wanted to play with at your convenience?” Neji exhaled heavily and leaned back against his car door, staring at her hard.

“Neji, I’m your friend. I thought we were on the same page with this,” Tenten rambled, not knowing how to answer his questions. “We were messing around. Having fun.”

Neji’s eyes flashed with renewed anger. He said waspishly, “_You_ were messing around. I fucking meant everything, Tenten! Every word, every compliment, every k—all of it! I wasn’t playing games with you! I can’t believe I fucking—”

“God, you’re so self-righteous!” Tenten screamed into his face, relishing the surge of shrill rage she felt in her throat. “You pretend like you’re some kind of perfect person, but you and I both know you’re just a sad product of your fucking traditional upbringing!”

Neji stared at her, then smirked—but it was one full of bitterness. Neji shook his head at her, and then without a word, got into his car.

Tenten crossed her arms. As he started the car, avoiding her gaze, Tenten yelled at him, loudly enough to be heard, “You’re such a fucking coward, Neji Hyuga! You only care about things when you get to decide what they are! You’re a controlling bastard, just like the rest of your fucking family!”

Neji drove past her, and overwhelmed with fury, Tenten picked up one of her discarded shoes and launched it at his back window. She missed and the shoe bounced on the asphalt before settling.

Tenten let out a scream of frustration, her eyes filling with angry tears. She collected her shoes roughly and walked barefoot back to the door of the club. Hinata was gone. Nearly blind with the overpowering heat of her emotions, Tenten charged back out into the middle of the dance floor. She closed her eyes against the tears that slipped down her cheeks and swayed with the music, trying to forget.

* * *

The next morning, when Tenten woke up feeling like she was on her deathbed, her argument with Neji was the first thing she thought about through the blurry edges of her memories. As she reached for her phone to check if he had called, Tenten wondered how much of their conversation had been alcohol-induced. But then she remembered: Neji had been sober their entire conversation. Tenten glanced at her phone. She had a few scattered messages from Sakura and Ino, and one from an unknown number, but none from Neji, and no calls.

Tenten sighed and set her phone back on her bedside table. She wasn’t ready to talk to Neji yet.

* * *

Spring Break passed slowly, with Tenten lounging around her dorm room watching TV with Ino. The day before classes resumed, she, Sakura, Ino, and some other girls from ASA drove to the beach. Hinata was noticeably absent, and everyone kept shooting Tenten looks when they thought she was otherwise occupied. But Tenten noticed.

On Sunday evening, sitting at her desk letting her hair dry from her shower, Tenten exhaled and finally plucked up enough courage to call Neji. It rang and rang, but he didn’t pick up, the call ending in voicemail. Tenten cleared her throat to leave a message. “Hey, Neji. So—the other night I was a little drunk when we argued. I was hoping we could talk about it again. Give me a call.”

By Monday morning, Tenten sent Neji a text to follow up her voicemail. But the message remained delivered, not read.

As the days passed, Tenten grew more and more agitated by the lack of contact. She passed by the diner to see if she could catch Neji there, but he never was. He was consistently absent for his usual evening run. Their next ASA meeting wasn’t until the following week, and Tenten had too much pride to ask one of her friends if they had seen him around campus.

That Thursday, Tenten finally decided to go by his house to track him down. After her anthropology class, Tenten darted across campus, past student housing and down sidewalks until she finally reached the quaint yellow house. She knocked on the door and tapped her foot impatiently, anxiety roiling in her gut.

When the door swung open, Tenten was so happy that she almost hugged him. But upon seeing it wasn’t Neji in front of her, but Hinata, Tenten’s excitement died instantly. “Where’s Neji?” she asked Hinata, wincing at the note of desperation in her voice.

Hinata joined Tenten on the porch, shutting the door behind her. She regarded Tenten with sympathy in her gentle eyes. “Tenten,” Hinata began slowly, “Neji doesn’t want to talk to you right now.”

Tenten pursed her lips. “Hinata, it’s been over a week. He can’t hide from me forever. I need to talk to him, and he’s ignoring my texts and calls.”

“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” Hinata repeated.

“Ever again?” Tenten snapped, abandoning her patience. “Because that’s what this is starting to feel like.”

Hinata sighed and crossed her arms. She leveled a gaze at the brunette, her eyes narrowed. “Tenten, I don’t think you realize how deeply you’ve hurt him.”

“Friends have fights,” Tenten said. “We can’t move past it if he won’t talk to me.”

Hinata shook her head. “You don’t understand. Neji’s not interested in being your friend.”

Tenten glared at Hinata, her anger bubbling. “Oh, yeah? He told you to tell me that he’s not friends with me anymore? Very mature.”

“No,” Hinata corrected quietly, “it’s not that. What I mean is that he doesn’t want to _only_ be your friend. You don’t feel the same way he does. He’s very . . . embarrassed.”

Tenten gaped at the younger girl. “What are you talking about?” Tenten exclaimed.

Hinata did not repeat herself. She went on, carefully, “Maybe in the future you could try to be friends again. But for now, it’s probably best if you give him some space. No calls, no texts.”

Tenten blinked, speechless.

“He doesn’t hate you—none of us do,” Hinata said, resting a hand gingerly on Tenten’s arm. “But—you can understand that, at least, can’t you, Tenten?”

Tenten felt herself nod. In a daze, she walked off their porch and back to campus at a slow pace, Hinata’s words echoing over and over in her mind.

* * *

“Ten? You okay?” Ino asked softly.

Tenten exhaled and burrowed deeper underneath her covers. “Not feeling well,” she muttered. “No class for me today.”

“Do you want an aspirin?” Ino inquired.

“No. I’m just going to sleep it off,” Tenten said, turning her body towards the wall. She listened as Ino quietly got ready for class and then slipped out, shutting the door behind her. Tenten reached for her phone and checked it—there were missed calls and text messages from her father and Rocky, but she hadn’t replied.

Tenten flipped onto her back and pulled the covers off her face, her body buzzing with irritation. She couldn’t stop feeling angry. Not only was Neji actively ignoring her, he had also had the audacity to project onto her a relationship? She had been clear! It had been casual! How dare he assume that she somehow belonged to him?

Tenten twisted herself into a tight ball, agitated. “This is so fucking stupid,” she whispered. “Fucking unbelievable.”

* * *

Her temper did not improve over the next week. By the time she saw Neji by chance, exiting the tutoring center, she was seething.

“Hey,” she barked, stomping over.

Neji looked up from his phone and slowed to a stop, his expression guarded. He said nothing, waiting for her to speak.

“When are you going to stop ignoring me?” Tenten demanded. “It’s gotten old really fast, Hyuga.”

Neji clenched his jaw, staring at her. Tenten waited, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. She wanted him to scream at her, to curse her out—anything but continue avoiding her.

“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” Neji finally said with restraint.

“You’re being really immature,” Tenten sniped.

Neji gave her a scathing look. “Am I?” he responded tensely.

“Yes,” Tenten said, planting her feet. “Just forget it ever happened.”

Neji shook his head. “I’m not like you. I can’t live in a fantasy world where everything I do has zero consequences.”

Tenten’s face flushed. “I don’t think what I do has zero consequences.”

Neji held her gaze, mouth tight. “Don’t you? You don’t care about how your actions affect other people—you run away and then blame everyone else for being hurt.”

Tenten winced, stung. “That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it? You knew I liked you. So, you went out and got drunk and kissed a stranger—and I happened to see it. And now you’re blaming me—for what? Having feelings for you? For being hurt?” Neji shrugged. “You knew what you were doing the whole time.”

Hotly, Tenten replied, “I don’t want to have a conversation about a relationship you made up in your head.”

Neji flinched but did not respond, staring at her.

Tenten went on, indignant, “You don’t know me, Hyuga. I don’t even care if we’re friends anymore—I don’t need your egotistical, pompous, private school ass in my life.”

Neji treated her to a hurt glare. “You’re being very selfish,” he said softly.

“Fuck you!” Tenten shouted, spinning on her heel and storming away. She marched back to her dorm blindly, furiously swiping at her eyes the entire way.

* * *

A few days later, Tenten made her way to the library to go over the ASA agenda with Neji. She had vacillated between texting him to cancel or not showing up at all, but with their final event drawing ever nearer, Tenten had decided that bailing out now would be a terrible choice. Besides, she was committed to proving Neji wrong.

When Tenten arrived at she and Neji’s usual table on the second floor, she was surprised to see both Sakura and Shikamaru in attendance. Shooting Sakura a look, Tenten sat down next to her, slowly getting out her laptop. Sakura leaned over and whispered in Tenten’s ear, “Neji said that he expects Shikamaru and I to be at the rest of these meetings for the semester—with the night market and all.”

Tenten did not get a chance to reply; Neji breezed in and sat down at the table, his expression closed off and distant. Tenten could feel Sakura watching her, but she kept her eyes firmly on her laptop, trying to suppress her rising anxiety.

Neji acted very much the same as he always had—hyper-focused on the details of their event, smoothing out logistics as Tenten recorded it all. But it was primarily a conversation that Neji was having aloud, with Sakura chiming in occasionally, while Tenten and Shikamaru said nothing at all.

At the conclusion of their meeting, Shikamaru was the first to depart, muttering under his breath. Sakura carefully got to her feet, eyes darting between Tenten and Neji. “I’ll see you guys later,” she said, quickly walking away.

Tenten inhaled deeply, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat. She chanced a glance up at Neji; he was writing down last minute notes. Tenten cleared her throat, and after a moment, Neji looked up. Shakily, Tenten said, “Is this how it’s going to be?”

Neji leaned back in his chair, regarding her coolly. Eventually, he asked, “You knew how I felt about you, didn’t you?”

Tenten pursed her lips, tightly crossing her arms over her chest.

Neji continued, “That’s why you went out with Ino—after that night. You knew how I felt about you and you didn’t want it anymore.”

Tenten stayed silent, watching him.

“You were fucking with me the whole time.”

“I never lied to you,” Tenten said finally. “Maybe I did some fucked up stuff, but you can’t say I ever gave you the impression that what I wanted was a relationship.”

“You really believe that?”

“Listen, Neji,” Tenten sighed, “I’m sorry that I hurt you or whatever. But I wasn’t pretending with you—we were friends and you wanted more, and I didn’t. That’s all.”

Neji shook his head sadly, and stood up, walking away without another word. Tenten shut her laptop and laid her head down, exhausted and miserable.

* * *

“Ten, you’ve gotta get out of this room.”

Tenten winced as Ino switched on their overhead light, her eyes squinting through the sudden glare. “Ino,” Tenten replied flatly, “I’m in the middle of working on my thesis.”

“Screw the thesis,” Ino shot back, staring down at Tenten, her hands resting on her hips. “Come outside, it feels like spring.”

It was mid-April. Tenten had finished the first draft of her thesis paper, and after reviewing it with her advisor, she was working on some holes in her research. As the days slipped closer and closer to graduation, Tenten was feeling increasingly unnerved.

Tenten shook her head, taking a swig from her water bottle. “I can’t.”

“Ten,” Ino said seriously, leaning against Tenten’s desk, “I’m worried about you. Ever since you and Hyuga had that big fight—”

Tenten sighed loudly, shaking her head. “Please stop. I’m busy.”

Ino continued, ignoring her, “—you’ve been holed up in this room, just like when your mom died.”

Tenten briefly closed her eyes, breathing carefully against the sharp pain in her chest. Ino set her hand on Tenten’s shoulder. “Why don’t you try talking to him again?” Ino asked gently.

Tenten opened her eyes and answered coldly, “He hates me, Ino. And I hate him too. So, there’s nothing to talk about.” She brushed off her hand and turned back to her laptop.

“I see the way he looks at you at the ASA meetings, when he thinks nobody’s watching him. There’s no way he hates you.” Tenten disregarded this, shifting around commas. Ino went on, “And honestly, Ten? You wouldn’t be this sad if you hated him. Why can’t you just admit it wasn’t as casual as you wanted it to be?”

“Because it wasn’t,” Tenten snapped through gritted teeth. “God, will you leave me the fuck alone, please?”

Ino sniffed disdainfully but obliged, leaving Tenten by herself as she closed their door behind her. Tenten sighed loudly and pushed back from her desk. She rifled through her desk drawer for a moment before withdrawing the perfume Ino had brought back with her from Italy. Tenten sprayed it in the air and inhaled deeply, swallowing against the lump in her throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everybody good? I know that was a lot - but I hope you enjoyed it.


	10. lost and found

** _~ ten – lost and found ~_ **

As the ASA event drew nearer, Tenten was forced out of her dorm room for countless hours in the evening to oversee planning and the decorating of the gym they’d rented from the university. She and Neji kept their distance from each other, only conversing when necessary. Tenten persistently ignored the looks Ino and Sakura shot her, pretending they weren’t there.

The evening before their event, Tenten was heading up a ladder to adjust a banner when she felt it shift beneath her. “Oh, shit,” she muttered, tensing.

Seconds later, the ladder fell back against the wall, secured. Tenten looked down over her shoulder. Neji was leaning against the ladder, his eyes wide as he stared up at her.

After a long moment, Tenten said with a small laugh, “Well, that was fucking close.”

Neji’s face transformed from surprise to exasperation. “Are you stupid? Who goes up a ladder without someone supporting it?” he snapped harshly.

Despite his tone, Tenten grinned and continued up the ladder. She fixed the banner, retying it to the railing to make it fall straighter.

“I’m coming down now,” she called down.

As she neared the bottom, she felt Neji’s hand graze her waist, spotting her descent. She stepped off the ladder and Neji set it on the ground, breathing a relieved sigh.

“It’s fine,” Tenten reassured him optimistically, trying to push away her nervousness. “The worst I would have done is sprain something.”

Neji treated her to a glare. “You could have cracked your head open,” he retorted, unamused. “Do you know how inconvenient that would have been to clean up before tomorrow?”

Tenten smirked, unsure if he was joking. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

Neji sighed, his annoyance sliding away. He opened his mouth to respond, but someone called for him across the room. Neji walked away, shooting Tenten an unreadable glance.

* * *

They finished set up just after midnight. Exhausted, Tenten walked out of the gym, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. It would be an early morning for all of them—tomorrow would consist of running last minute errands and coordinating the arrival of the caterers and the DJ. Tenten was responsible for managing the soundboard and the speakers.

Her thoughts wandered to Neji again as she walked down her dorm hallway, wondering what he’d wanted to say. When she reached her room, she was confused to see her door was open—Ino had gone to eat with Sakura off-campus. Tentatively, Tenten stepped inside, her mouth immediately falling open.

“Rock!” Tenten exclaimed, dropping her backpack at her feet, and rushing over to embrace her brother. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighborhood!” Rocky said unconvincingly, squeezing his sister into a bone-crushing hug. Tenten winced and pulled away, eyes narrowed.

“No, you weren’t. Seriously, what are you doing here?” Tenten paused, her eyes widening. “Is Dad okay?”

Rocky waved away her concern, sitting on the edge of her bed. “Dad is fine. I was worried about you.”

Tenten felt her guard come up, instantly suspicious. “Why? I’m fine.”

Rocky stared at her seriously. “Ino doesn’t seem to think so,” Rocky replied gently.

Tenten’s anger ignited in a flash. “Oh, yeah? Did she text you?”

“Yes. She said you weren’t doing well. I wanted to come and check on you and figure out what it is you haven’t told me or Dad. You’ve been ignoring our calls for weeks.”

Tenten rolled her eyes; her happiness at seeing her brother was evaporating quickly. “There’s nothing to tell,” she snapped, jaw clenched.

Rocky tilted his head at her, bemused. “Tennie, what is it? You’ve never avoided us like this before.”

Tenten turned away, grabbing her backpack and spilling the contents onto her desk. “There’s nothing to tell,” she repeated tiredly.

Rocky watched her sort through her things for a moment before he asked carefully, “Does this have to do with Neji Hyuga?”

Tenten whirled to face him, her expression thunderous. “I’m guessing Ino put forth that ridiculous theory?” she said angrily. “It was none of her damn business to text you.”

“She’s your friend,” Rocky defended. “She was worried about you, and she didn’t know if you had mentioned anything to me—which you obviously hadn’t. What happened, Tennie?”

“Nothing,” Tenten replied, slumping into her desk chair, shaking her head.

Rocky waited quietly for a long time, letting Tenten run through her thoughts. Finally, he said delicately, “Tennie, is this about Mom?”

Tenten snapped up her head to look at her brother. “What?”

“Is this about Mom?” Rocky repeated, his face drawn and serious. “We all changed after Mom died, but you . . . you handled it completely different than me and Dad.”

Tenten sighed, exasperated. “What are you talking about, Rock?” she posed irritably.

“Tennie, I never saw you dealing with Mom’s death. At least, not in front of me or Dad. And I know that everyone grieves differently, which is why I never pushed it. But you don’t even like to talk about her. Dad and I—we talk about Mom all the time. But when she died, it was like you took all your memories and emotions and put them away.” Rocky shrugged sadly. “It was like . . . you stopped doing everything you enjoyed. Then, when you came here—it was like you were trying to distance yourself from us.”

Tenten gritted her teeth. “This has nothing to do with Mom.”

“Then it has to do with Neji Hyuga?” Rocky assumed. “Did you distance yourself from him too?”

Tenten opened her mouth to protest, to scream at her brother like she hadn’t in years, but no sound came out. She looked up at the ceiling, breathing quickly.

“Tennie, did you like him?”

Tenten threw her arm over her face, telling herself to hold it in. _Don’t cry. Don’t cry._

“Tenten, even though Mom isn’t here anymore, it doesn’t mean that her love has gone too,” Rocky said softly. The bed creaked under his weight, and Tenten felt his hand touch her shoulder. “It’s the same with me and Dad. We miss you so much it hurts.”

Tenten sniffed and rubbed her face roughly, wishing the tears welling in her eyes would disappear.

“Tennie, it’s okay to be scared.”

A few tears escaped down Tenten’s cheeks, and she batted them away. She sucked in a heavy breath and whispered, “I’m not scared. I’m fucking _terrified_.”

“Why?” asked Rocky.

Tenten shuddered and looked her brother in the eye, wincing at his concerned expression. “There’s no point in getting attached to anything or anyone. Because eventually, it all gets taken away.”

Rocky tilted his head at her. “That’s a very lonely life to live—to be so afraid of something ending that you don’t ever trust or love anyone or anything.”

Tenten shrugged. “It’s worked for me.”

“Has it?” Rock asked sternly, his tone shifting. “You seem miserable to me.”

“Eye of the beholder,” Tenten rattled off.

Rocky leaned back against Tenten’s bed, crossing his arms as he gazed down at her, steely-eyed. “This isn’t you,” he finally declared. “Where’s the Tennie that would take every chance presented to her? Where’s the Tennie that would risk it all—even if it was going to hurt?”

“She died with Mom, Rock. That Tennie’s not here anymore,” Tenten answered rigidly.

Rocky shook his head. “No. The real Tenten’s in there somewhere. She’s just gotten a little lost,” Rocky said, pointing to her chest. “But—maybe she’s not as lost as I first thought.”

Tenten sent her brother a baleful look. “What is that supposed to mean?”

A wry smile tugged at Rocky’s mouth. “Well, you must have really liked him, to elicit this much emotion.”

Tenten angrily wiped at her eyes, refusing to say anything.

“Did he like you?” Rocky questioned after a moment; a bushy eyebrow raised curiously.

“Rock,” Tenten warned, fiercely glaring at him. “Please.”

“He must have; who wouldn’t like you?” Rocky decided for himself. “Did you argue?”

Tenten silently glowered. Rocky smiled gently. “Ah, Tennie. Dad would be so proud.”

“If you tell Dad about any of this, I will make sure you spend your next few Shaolin tournaments on the sidelines in a wheelchair.” Tenten stood to her feet, sniffing once, slowly reeling back her emotions. “I don’t want to talk about Neji. I’m done having this conversation.”

“Well, I’m not,” Rocky said, standing his ground. “Don’t close up again. This is the first real conversation we’ve had since Mom died.”

“You’re overreacting,” Tenten brushed off, busily tidying the floor.

“I’m not,” protested Rocky. “Tennie, it’s _normal_ to want to be close to people. You’re causing more damage to yourself by shutting everyone out.”

Tenten furiously threw down the clothes she’d been holding, spinning to face Rocky. “When Mom died, I told myself that I was never going to let myself feel that kind of pain ever again. Ever, Rock. I _cannot_ put myself through that again.” Tenten could feel her emotions rushing back up again, and she clutched her chest, willing her body to cooperate.

Rocky stepped forward and embraced her, holding her tighter when Tenten tried to shove him away. He patted her hair, and said, “Tennie, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

The tears rolled down Tenten’s cheeks, uninhibited, and she shook with sobs, overcome by the years of pent-up heartache and pain and grief. Rocky held Tenten until her tears subsided and her face felt raw. They had sat down on Tenten’s rug as she’d cried, and now Tenten ran her hands through the fuzzy fabric, her head strangely clear.

“I fucked it all up,” she whispered, her lips salty and sore. “With everyone.”

Rocky shook his head. “You didn’t. Dad and I love you just the same as always. I think I love you even more now!” Rocky said happily. After a beat, he continued, “As for Neji Hyuga—maybe. But you could try again.”

Tenten closed her eyes and shook her head, recalling the way Neji had looked at her all those weeks ago outside the club. “He probably still hates me,” she muttered.

Rocky shrugged. “Who cares?” he said. “You’re a Li. And Li’s never back down from a challenge.”

Tenten looked up at her brother, feeling a rush of affection and gratitude for him. She reached out and threw an arm around his neck, pulling him into a hug. “Thank you,” she said into his ear. “For reminding me.”

“Mom’s still with us, Ten,” Rocky whispered back, his voice tight with emotion. “She never left. But you know, I always feel her presence strongest when we’re all together.”

Tenten shut her eyes tightly against the tears budding once again. “Me too,” she replied. “Me too, Rock.”

* * *

Tenten did her best to convince Rocky and her father—who had been asleep at their hotel the previous night when Rocky came to her dorm—to not attend the ASA event, but her attempts were useless.

“Tennie, you’ve been working on this event all year! Nothing could stop us from coming!” Maito exclaimed, patting down his silk martial arts uniform. Rocky was dressed identically.

“Guys, you can’t embarrass me,” Tenten complained. “Please don’t talk to anyone.”

Maito made a face, but Rocky grinned. “Don’t worry, Tennie. We’d never embarrass you! We simply want to admire all of your hard work.”

“Fine,” Tenten said begrudgingly. “I have to go now to finish setting up, but I’ll see you there later.”

Maito and Rocky waved her away, and Tenten sighed loudly as she walked out the door.

It was a nice, early summer evening. When she arrived at the gym, most of the ASA members were already there. Neji stood near the entrance, talking with Miss Kato. Tenten snuck a glance at him, admiring how good he looked in his _yukata_. She slipped past them and made her way over to the stage to greet the DJ and begin helping him to set up.

Half an hour later, sweaty and wincing from her heels, Tenten sat down on the corner of the stage as the DJ started a set to test his levels. Ino spotted her and sauntered over, looking stunning in a bold Harajuku-esque street fashion ensemble.

“Ten, you look hot,” Ino said, sitting down next to her.

“Very funny,” Tenten muttered, blotting the sweat that had gathered along her hairline.

“No, seriously,” Ino replied, waggling her eyebrows. “It suits you.”

Tenten sighed, glancing down at her long black and red _qipao_. “Thanks. It’s a good thing it’s black, otherwise I’d have some embarrassing sweat stains.”

Ino winced and patted Tenten’s knee. “I wouldn’t mention that to anyone,” she advised delicately.

Tenten’s eyes wandered around the room and alighted on Neji, who was discussing something with Sakura and one of the caterers. Ino followed her line of sight, smirking.

“Why don’t you go say hello?” Ino said, nudging her shoulder.

Tenten shot her a look. “He’s busy.”

“So? Everything’s mostly done. Now would be a great time to talk before people start showing up.”

Tenten shook her head, feeling nervous and unprepared. “No, I should probably see if the DJ needs anything else.” Tenten got to her feet and walked behind the stage, smoothing out some tangled wires.

* * *

An hour later, the event was crowded with people eating and dancing. Tenten watched from the corner of the gym, smiling to herself. It had been an ambitious event to pull off, but they had done it. She’d lost track of her father and Rocky—the last she’d seen of them they’d been slurping down noodles from one of the stalls.

As she stood there, people-watching, Hinata sidled up to her, looking gorgeous in a pale pink _iromuji kimono_. Tenten smiled warily at her; the last time they’d spoken had been when Tenten had come to their house looking for Neji.

“You look beautiful, Tenten,” Hinata said pleasantly, wearing a small, gentle smile.

Tenten shook her head. “Hinata, you’re the one that looks beautiful. You’re the best dressed here, by far.”

A blush dusted Hinata’s cheeks. She nodded gratefully, her eyes searching the room until landing on Naruto, who was standing a few yards away playing with a _kendama_.

“I should thank you,” Hinata finally said, shooting Tenten quick glance.

Tenten raised her eyebrows. “For what?”

“For encouraging Naruto. He told me what you said that night, at the club.”

Tenten winced, wrinkling her nose. “I was drunk that night and made a lot of bad decisions.”

“Maybe a few,” Hinata agreed softly, “but you told Naruto to reach out to me—to relax and be natural. We’ve been together since that night.” Hinata flushed prettily.

Tenten stared at her, wide-eyed. “Really? And Neji doesn’t care?”

Hinata’s smile widened. “It’s taken getting used to, but he doesn’t bother me about it nearly as much as he did before. He’s even started allowing Naruto inside the house.”

Tenten snorted, her heart feeling lighter in her chest. “That’s nothing short of a miracle,” Tenten laughed.

Hinata chuckled, her eyes narrowing in focus. “I wanted to repay you with some advice of my own.”

Tenten quieted, glancing at Hinata from the corner of her eye. “Look, Hinata, I don’t want to talk about Neji—”

“Just listen for a moment, Tenten,” said Hinata, her tone uncharacteristically firm. “Neji is like my brother—I know him very well. I’ve never seen him as happy as when he’s with you. He’s not someone who wears his emotions on his sleeve—he’s closed off, even with me. But ever since last semester, I’ve noticed him noticing you.” Hinata took a breath, looking at Tenten seriously. “You made a mistake at the club that night, and Neji made a mistake in not making himself clear in how he felt. I know that you two have argued and said hurtful things—but Neji hasn’t changed his mind about you.”

Tenten’s heart clenched painfully in her chest. She shook her head. “Hinata, we’re graduating in less than a week. Neji’s going to Japan; I’m going to LA. That’s not enough time to repair a whole friendship.”

Hinata pursed her lips, regarding her passively. Eventually, she released a small smile and reached out to squeeze Tenten’s hand. “It’s up to you, of course,” she said. “I just wanted to let you know it’s not too late for you to be happy too.”

Hinata squeezed her hand once more and glided away, going over to Naruto. He threw an arm around her shoulder, excitedly pulling her to another stall. Tenten smiled sadly, watching them.

* * *

Tenten completed her senior thesis paper twenty minutes before she was expected to present it to her department dean and a handful of professors and students. Technically, her thesis had been completed a week before, when she’d “officially” handed it into her advisor, but Tenten hadn’t been able to stop herself from combing through the seventy-six paged paper, reviewing every reference, comma, and word selection.

She paced outside of the classroom where presentations were being given, nervously sipping from a cup of coffee Rocky had brought her. Her father and brother had decided to stay around until graduation, citing it would be inconvenient to fly out to LA for a few days only to fly back for commencement. Tenten had been enjoying their company, often meeting them at their hotel to spend time together after almost a year apart.

Tenten glanced down at her paper again, jittery. A student stuck their head out of the classroom and said, “Tenten, your turn.”

Sighing heavily, Tenten threw the coffee in a trash can and entered the classroom, walking quickly up the aisle to stand at the podium. She glanced around the room—Rocky and Maito waved enthusiastically near the front, sitting behind a row of her history professors and the department dean. She grimaced, embarrassed.

Ino and Sakura were sitting together near the back, whispering back and forth. Ino sent Tenten a winning smile, and then gestured pointedly over her shoulder.

Tenten looked behind them a few rows and clutched the podium tighter. Sitting on the last row, wearing a composed expression, was Neji Hyuga. He met her gaze, and his mouth lifted into a small, unsure smile.

In the front, the dean cleared his throat. “Tenten? You may begin when ready.”

Tenten nodded slowly, wrenching her eyes away from Neji. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and began her presentation with a strained smile.

* * *

Seventeen minutes later, Tenten had officially finished her history major requirement—all that was left now was receiving her diploma. Once she’d finished, Rocky, Maito, and Ino had cheered aloud, getting sent a handful of amused stares from Tenten’s professors. She walked out of the classroom feeling light as air. Rocky and Maito bounded out after her, hugging her tightly.

“Tennie, that was amazing!” Maito cried, his eyes filling with big tears.

Tenten swatted him. “Dad, come on. Not here!”

Maito sniffled loudly. Ino and Sakura came out a second later, each congratulating her.

“I didn’t follow a lot of it,” Ino confessed, “but you sure sounded smart talking about it.”

Tenten smiled at her roommate. “Thanks, Ino.”

“Let’s go celebrate! After graduation there won’t be enough time!” Maito said.

Ino smiled. “I wish I could. I still have a final tomorrow.”

Sakura apologized as well. “Me too. I took a break to come see Tenten’s presentation, but I need to head back to the library.”

Waving, the two walked away, leaving Tenten with her father. She cast a quick eye around. “Where did Rock go? He was just here.”

Maito threw an arm over Tenten’s shoulders and began leading her towards the exit. “He went to use the restroom—he chugged an entire large coffee on the way here. Where do you want to go eat, Tennie?”

* * *

Tenten and Ino’s room was in mid-packing disarray, so Tenten grabbed a change of clothes and went with Rocky and her father to their hotel to change for dinner. She had just zipped up her skirt when Rocky pounded on the bathroom door. “Tennie, hurry up! We’re going to make a bad impression on Neji if we’re late!” Rocky called from the other side.

Tenten wrenched open the door and looked in at her father and brother, who were both sitting calmly on the edge of the bed, flipping through television channels. “What did you say?” Tenten asked, teeth clenched.

“We’re going to be late, dearest,” Maito repeated, “if you don’t speed it up.”

“No, what did you say about Neji?” Tenten said.

“Oh, I invited him to eat with us,” Rocky answered, unconcerned.

Tenten gripped the doorway, sputtering. “You did _what_? _Why_?”

Maito and Rocky looked over to her, surprised at her tone. “Tenten, what’s wrong? We just wanted a chance to speak with him more, since you seem to be good friends,” Maito replied, his eyes narrowing.

“We’re not—” Tenten sighed, and tugged on her bangs, frustrated.

“Tennie, it will be fine,” Rocky said, regarding her with a calm and knowing look. “It’s just dinner.”

Maito looked between his son and daughter, clearly sensing he was missing something, but he refrained from asking.

“Fine,” Tenten muttered angrily, and slammed the bathroom door shut. She quickly finished dressing, though she now felt self-conscious in her black skirt and simple blouse. She fussed with her hair before resigning herself to setting it in her normal hairstyle, her face flushed. When she stormed from the bathroom five minutes later, she marched out of the hotel room without waiting for her brother and father.

They arrived at the car a few moments behind her and Tenten analyzed their expressions, but both men seemed to be willfully ignoring her irritation. With a huff, she sat in the backseat, letting Rocky have the passenger seat.

“I can’t believe you guys invited Neji and didn’t tell me,” Tenten muttered as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Maito glanced at her in the rearview mirror curiously but said nothing. Rocky shifted in his seat and gave his sister a look, one that meant she wasn’t getting out of this, even if she complained. “Just don’t call me ‘Tennie’ in front of him, okay?” Tenten sighed and looked away, watching the cars pass by.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Neji was already waiting for them. He looked up from his phone as they approached, smiling pleasantly. Rocky took Tenten’s elbow and whispered in her ear as they walked up, “Don’t be weird. Just be your normal self.”

Tenten shook him off, shooting him a sharp glare. But Rocky was already racing ahead to greet Neji, at his father’s heels. They all shook hands and Rocky and Maito began profusely apologizing for being late—Tenten rolled her eyes.

“Let’s go in! Come, come!” Maito said, ushering them all inside.

It was crowded in the foyer, and they shuffled to an open space by a wall. Tenten’s arm brushed Neji’s, and she flinched, glancing up quickly to see if Neji had noticed. Their eyes met, and Tenten blanched.

“Tenten,” Neji said in hello, his expression reserved.

“I’m really sorry about this,” she murmured, not wanting to be overheard. “I have no idea how they figured out who you were.”

A small smile graced his mouth. He nodded to where they were standing at the hostess’ stand. “They’re somehow different than I expected.”

“Really, Neji, I didn’t ask them to invite you. I’m sorry they even asked.”

Neji’s smile froze and his expression shifted back to impassivity. “It’s not a problem,” he said. “I wouldn’t have agreed if I didn’t want to come.”

Tenten stared up at him, wanting to ask why he did come. Was this proof he didn’t hate her anymore?

“This way, Tennie, Neji!” Maito called over the crowd, his long arms waving them over.

Tenten blushed furiously, and she marched over to follow. Behind her, she heard Neji’s unmistakable soft laughter. She glared at him over her shoulder.

“Tennie?” he posed quietly; his pale eyes transformed with amusement.

“If you _ever_ call me that I’ll—!” Tenten threatened in an undertone, growing silent as they drew up to their table.

“What?” Neji whispered. “Suffocate me with a stuffed animal?”

Tenten’s eyes flicked to his, opening her mouth to deliver a fierce retort.

“Tennie, Neji, sit down,” Maito said, sitting himself across from his son.

Stifling her threats Tenten sat down next to Rocky, leaving Neji the open seat across from her. Maito took the liberty of ordering the different meats and ingredients for their hot pot meal.

They chatted indiscriminately about Maito and Rocky’s plans once graduation was finished, which launched into Rocky detailing his new movie role and the ins and outs of Shaolin martial arts to Neji for almost half an hour.

“Guys, give it a rest,” Tenten reprimanded as she cooked a thin slice of beef in the pot. “Neji doesn’t care about all the different styles of Shaolin.”

“Don’t be jealous, Tenten,” Rocky joked, smiling at his sister. He glanced at Neji. “Martial arts are a sore spot with Tenten.”

Tenten frowned at her brother. “It’s not a sore spot,” she replied testily.

“I’ve seen her uniform before—was she any good? She never tried to show me any of the moves,” Neji interjected, his eyes focused on Maito and Rocky.

“Oh, she was definitely _good_,” Maito declared. “She won several competitions.”

“Once my career really took off, Tenten kind of stopped wanting to take classes,” Rocky added, moving some vegetables around with his chopsticks. “At first I thought it was because she was jealous. But then I realized it was because she wanted to help Baba. But the summer our mom died, it became clear that we couldn’t do things the exact way we had before.”

Tenten blushed and pointedly ignored Neji’s face, shoveling a mound of rice into her mouth.

“I’m sorry about your loss. My parents passed away when I was young,” Neji said, his gaze darting to Tenten for a brief second.

Maito clapped Neji on the shoulder, his eyes quickly filling with tears. Tenten glared at her father, shaking her head. Maito sniffed loudly.

“Dad, please,” Tenten said, her mouth still somewhat full.

“I’m sorry, Tenten,” Maito said, tears slipping freely down his cheeks. “I’m just so proud of you. Your mother would be so proud of you—of both of you.”

Tenten teared up and cleared her throat. She excused herself to the bathroom, worried her misty eyes had smudged her mascara.

When she returned, Rocky, Maito, and Neji were all smiling, as if they’d shared some private joke. Instantly self-conscious, Tenten took her seat and asked, “What’s so amusing?”

“Neji was just telling us of the time you were running together, and you slipped on some ice and fell face-first into the snow,” Rocky answered, looking delighted.

Neji glanced at Tenten and smirked. Tenten flushed. “God, you had to bring that up, didn’t you?”

“It’s a good story,” Neji replied unabashedly.

“It’s an _embarrassing_ story. Now these two will never let me forget it,” Tenten said, gesturing to her father and brother.

“Then my night has been made,” Neji said, holding her gaze.

Tenten rolled her eyes, ignoring the distinct way Maito and Rocky were between them. A beat later, Rocky cleared his throat and asked, “So, Neji, what are you doing after graduation? Do you have a job lined up?”

“Of sorts,” Neji answered. “My family owns a corporation here and in Japan. My uncle is sending me to stay with relatives for the summer, and to train me at the Japanese branch.” Neji’s eyes flickered to Tenten again.

“That sounds like quite a deal! Have you been to Japan before?”

“A few times,” Neji said, looking to Maito. “For family gatherings. But it’s been a few years since I’ve been back. . . I’m looking forward to seeing if it’s the same as what I remember.” His eyes wandered again to Tenten’s. She looked back at him, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to decipher his expression.

Rocky cleared his throat again and Tenten broke her gaze with Neji, flustered. “It’s always nice to revisit places we’ve been before,” he said, looking between them. “I always feel at home when Tenten and Baba and I are together—it doesn’t happen very often these days.”

He threw his arm around Tenten and grinned. Tenten smiled and rolled her eyes as her father started tearing up again. “Baba, seriously!” Tenten complained.

They finished dinner with only a few more tears, and when the bill came, there was a slight tussle over the paycheck, with Neji insisting he pay for the meal, which resulted in Maito and Rocky threatening to display some of their martial arts prowess. Finally, growing tired of the back-and-forth, Tenten quietly got up and paid the tab at the waitress’ station.

When she returned, she was embarrassed to see Rocky and Maito flexing their muscles and Neji looking like Christmas had arrived early.

“Okay, let’s go,” Tenten said, herding them all out of the restaurant as fast as possible.

Once they were out in the balmy evening, Rocky and Maito immediately exclaimed they wanted ice cream. Tenten rolled her eyes but pulled out her phone to find something nearby. Neji reached out and touched Tenten’s arm; Tenten looked up.

“I know where one is,” he said. “If you don’t mind walking?”

“We are always ready for exercise! Lead the way!” Rocky exclaimed.

Neji set off with a purposeful stride and Tenten let her brother and father fill in the middle, chattering non-stop with Neji. As she watched them, laughing and telling stories, she felt her heart flip a few times in her chest. She smiled to herself, somewhat breathless. Neji turned to look over his shoulder, to make sure she was keeping up, and their eyes met. Something passed between them, and Neji stopped to wait for her to catch up.

“Is there a reason you picked an ice cream store that’s literally five miles away?” Tenten asked as she drew up beside him, shaking off her daze.

“It’s a little over a mile,” Neji corrected. “And it’s the closest one in this area.”

Tenten harrumphed and they walked beside each other, watching as Rocky and Maito gallivanted a few yards ahead of them. “I’m really sorry that they dragged you out here tonight,” Tenten said after a few moments silence.

“Stop apologizing. I wanted to come. And I enjoyed myself—I like them,” Neji said with a smile, nodding towards Maito and Rocky.

“You’re only saying that because you didn’t grow up with them putting you in headlocks and enforcing exercise every moment of the damn day,” Tenten muttered under her breath.

“From what they said at dinner, you can hold your own,” Neji said.

“I can _certainly_ hold my own,” Tenten retorted. “But nobody wants to do a two-mile loop while on their period.”

Neji laughed. Tenten grinned up at him. “I’m glad you still think I’m hilarious.”

They fell silent again, watching the sky darken around them into twilight.

“At the ASA event, your brother told me that you’re afraid to get attached to people,” Neji said softly after a moment.

Tenten winced and looked at Neji out of the corner of her eye. “Oh, yeah? What else did he say?”

“He said that you don’t show your emotions easily, other than anger, and that you’d always been that way. He told me a particularly amusing anecdote about you and him and a towel that caught fire when you were five.”

“I can’t believe he told you that stupid story,” Tenten muttered, shaking her head. “When did you even have time to talk that long with him?”

Neji shrugged, his mouth lifting at one corner. “He kind of . . . followed me around at the event. I didn’t even know who he was until I saw you leave with him and your father that night. And I assume he got my phone number from Ino—he’s the one who told me your thesis presentation was today.”

“That’s just like him—making friends with strangers,” Tenten sighed.

“They really love you,” Neji said seriously after a brief pause. “It was nice to see you with them tonight.”

“As embarrassing as they are, I’m glad you got the chance to meet them. I wanted to introduce you to them.”

“Thank you for the chance,” Neji said. “I know it surprised you, when I was there at your presentation today.”

“It was more of a shock, than a surprise,” Tenten said wryly. “What did you think?”

“You’re just as smart as I always thought you were,” Neji replied, smirking. “Statistics notwithstanding, of course.”

Tenten rolled her eyes, her lips twitching. Neji caught her eye and released a small smile. “When do you leave for Japan?” she asked a moment later.

Neji sighed, “The day after tomorrow. It’s an early flight.”

“Your uncle doesn’t believe in summer vacation, does he?”

“Not really,” Neji said. He paused then said, “Rocky mentioned he would be in Japan in a few months to work on his movie. Maybe—”

“Hey, you two, hurry up!” Maito called out. He and Rocky had reached the ice cream shop and were waiting outside, watching them.

“Come on,” Tenten said, grasping Neji’s hand and pulling him along, “they get antsy about ice cream.”

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after Maito, Rocky, and Tenten had chosen their ice creams, and Neji had paid, they all walked outside. The sky was completely dark now, the early evening stars shining.

“I should go,” Neji said, taking a few steps away from them.

Maito and Rocky protested immediately, vowing to walk back with him. Neji waved them off, smiling.

“That’s okay. I was going to run home anyway.” His eyes met Tenten’s, and they shared another small, shy smile. “I’ll see all of you tomorrow, at graduation.” Neji held up a hand and turned away, starting a brisk jog.

“Good form,” Rocky commented, watching Neji jog away into the night. Maito hummed in agreement.

Tenten looked down at her dripping ice cream, wondering if things could be the same and different and still good.

* * *

Graduation day was a flurry of activity. Tenten woke up early to finish packing—students had to be out of the dorms by the end of commencement. Most of her things were already packed away in boxes, awaiting to be taken to their new home at Ino’s parent’s garage; Tenten had yet to decide if LA would be her permanent settlement and she wanted to keep her options open. Her essentials she’d crammed into her suitcase, which she would take with her on the flight to LA with Rocky and her father the next day. However, Tenten had overlooked her desk in her frenzied packing. She sat down at her desk quietly, listening carefully to Ino’s steady breathing as she slept. Tenten picked through her books, dividing them into keep, donate, or sell piles. She did the same with her notebooks, nostalgically flipping through the pages.

This done, she finally turned to her drawers. Tenten withdrew the perfume bottle and sprayed it on her wrists, applying some to her neck. She inhaled deeply and capped it, digging through the rest of the drawer.

She withdrew an envelope and stared at it, forehead wrinkled. On the front, in slanted handwriting, was written: _Do not open until Graduation._

Curious, Tenten tore it open. Inside was a letter and one airplane ticket, dated for the next day.

Heart beating fast, Tenten opened the letter and read it.

_Tenten—Happy birthday and congratulations on your graduation. Spending time with you over these last few months, I’ve been inspired by your endurance and dedication to your work, to the ASA, and to your family. I’ve never met anyone like you._

_I know this is an unusual birthday present, since you had to wait so long for it—but I felt it would mean more to you today. I’m betting it all by doing this; you could already have plans and a job by now. But I can’t see myself leaving without you. I don’t want to be apart from you._

_Come to Japan with me. We could go wherever you wanted to—all the historical sites and the museums. We can even go to China later in the summer, if you want._

_I’d do anything, as long as I’m with you. — N_

Tenten shuddered with realization; this had been her birthday present, from all those months ago. Neji had written this all the way back in March, before that night at the club.

“Oh, my God,” Tenten breathed, her chest tight with emotion. Tears blurred her vision. She looked at the ticket, hard.

She reached for her phone to call Neji, but doubt made her stop before she could pull up his name in her contacts. She folded up the letter with the plane ticket inside, and carefully set it underneath the perfume bottle before getting to her feet to get ready.

* * *

“Tennie, over here!”

Tenten peered through the crowd of students and their relatives, clutching her diploma tightly in her hand. She finally spotted Rocky and her father and pushed through. They embraced her tightly, crying loudly.

“Dad, Rocky, stop!” she said, grinning. “This is supposed to be happy!”

They held her tighter, snuffling. “We’re so proud,” Maito said. “We’re so proud, Tennie.”

Tenten pulled away, stopping the stream of tears moving down her own cheeks. “I wish mom was here,” she murmured to them.

Rocky and Maito smiled brightly, sadly, nodding in agreement. Rocky sighed and hugged his sister again.

“Ten!” called Ino, waddling over in towering high heels. She pulled her into a crushing hug. “You were by far the hottest graduate on that stage.”

Tenten laughed, squeezing back. “I’m going to miss you next year, Ino.”

“Please don’t. You’re going to make me smear my mascara,” said the blonde, pulling away with a grimace. She thrust her phone into Rocky’s hands. “Rock, make yourself useful, please.”

Tenten posed for picture after picture with Ino, then Sakura, then a myriad of other ASA members. Hinata passed by with Naruto and both congratulated her; Tenten didn’t miss that they were holding hands.

“Is Neji around?” Tenten asked Hinata discreetly, watching her father and brother attempt to show Naruto some Shaolin moves.

Hinata smiled and nodded, pointing to a few yards away. Neji was standing in a circle with a few other people Tenten recognized as having been at the Hyuga wedding. Sensing her gaze, Neji glanced around before finding her. He smiled and waved at her.

“Neji!” exclaimed Rocky, noticing him. “Can we borrow you for a moment?”

“Shit,” Tenten muttered. Next to her, Hinata chuckled and moved, reclaiming Naruto’s hand and leading him away.

Neji walked over, his honor cords and stole swishing freely. Rocky and Maito shook his hand, then demanded a picture. Tenten sighed as Rocky thrust their camera into her hands, both her father and brother going to stand next to Neji, posing with thumbs-up.

Tenten shook her head and took a few shots, ignoring Neji’s barely restrained laugh. Rocky and Maito broke away to review the pictures; Tenten walked over to Neji.

“Congratulations,” she said, strangely edgy.

Neji stared down at her, gaze steady. “The same to you,” he replied. “Can you believe it’s over?”

Tenten shook her head, feeling nervous as she opened her mouth to speak.

“One more picture with Neji, come on, Tenten,” interjected Maito, waving them together.

Tenten glanced at the waiting Hyuga family a few feet away, feeling anxious.

“It’s okay,” Neji said, at a volume only she would be able to hear. “They can wait two seconds.”

Maito waved them together until finally Tenten pressed her body into Neji’s side, wrapping an arm around his waist. She felt Neji lean his head closer to hers, his cap tassel hitting her cheek.

“Did you mean it? In the letter?” Tenten whispered to Neji, watching as Maito struggled to get his camera to focus.

Neji turned his head slightly, as if to look in her eyes, but Tenten pinched him, hard. “Damn,” Neji cursed, wincing.

Maito snapped the picture, took one glance at it and shook his head. “Neji, don’t frown!” reprimanded Maito.

“Did you mean it?” Tenten repeated urgently.

“Yes. All of it,” Neji whispered back, breathless.

“You wrote that letter months ago,” Tenten said doubtfully, grinning at Maito’s camera.

Maito, finally letting Rocky take over, cheered as he took photo after photo. “I’ll have so many to choose from!” Maito exclaimed, taking the camera from Rocky’s hands to pore over the pictures.

Neji and Tenten separated, gazing at each other. “I meant everything I ever said to you,” Neji said in a soft, low voice. “And I still mean it.”

Tenten held his gaze for a long moment, short of breath, before Hinata called over, “Neji, let’s go!”

Neji didn’t move from his spot, continuing to stare at Tenten. She smiled up at him weakly, “You should go. Have a good time in Japan.”

Neji blinked, and he nodded once, his features void of expression. “Goodbye, Tenten,” he said, and slipped past her to rejoin his family, waving to Maito and Rocky.

Tenten put on a smile for Rocky and Maito as they came to embrace her again, but it was taking everything in her to hold back tears.

* * *

That night at Rocky and her father’s hotel, Tenten waited until they were snoring deeply before slipping out of bed, reaching for her shoes. It was a nice summer night; Tenten appreciated the slight breeze as she slipped out of the hotel lobby and began jogging towards her destination.

It took her well over an hour—it was after midnight before she turned onto the street where the yellow townhouse sat.

As she drew up towards the driveway, Tenten stalled, breathing heavily from the exertion. Neji was sitting outside on the porch, wearing his running shoes. They stared at each other for a long moment before Tenten caught her breath enough to ask, “Were you going somewhere?”

Neji’s gaze was steady, if not a little surprised. “I was trying to decide if I should run over to see you before I left tomorrow.” He glanced down at his watch and amended, “Well, a few hours from now.”

“They kicked us out of the dorm today,” Tenten said, walking a little closer. “So that would have been an unsuccessful trip.”

“Where did you run from?” Neji asked.

“Rocky and Baba’s hotel. It’s around three miles away.”

Neji raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “You ran here the whole way? You didn’t take a taxi?”

Tenten rolled her eyes. “Don’t sound so surprised. I used to be an athlete too, you know.”

Neji considered this, watching her carefully. He finally asked, “Why did you come?”

Tenten sighed and sat down on the driveway across from him. She picked at a loose thread from her shorts before saying, “My mom died the summer before freshman year—ovarian cancer. She got a late diagnosis, and by the time she was scheduled for surgery, it was essentially too late. She died on the operating table, from infection.” Tenten’s throat constricted painfully; she sniffed, willing herself not to cry.

“Anyway,” Tenten gasped, sucking in a breath, “it’s been an . . . adjustment.” She sent Neji a hard look. “What Rocky told you the other day, at the ASA event—he was right. I closed myself off, after Mom died. I couldn’t bring myself to be vulnerable to pain.”

“Tenten,” Neji began, holding her gaze.

Tenten held up her hand, silencing him. “Let me finish.” She took another breath. “I was the one pretending that none of it mattered, because I didn’t want it to mean anything. I didn’t want to be attached to you. Hell, I didn’t even want to like you—and I didn’t, at first. But everything about you made me like you more. I wanted to push you away, and I wanted you around. And after that night in my room, around my birthday—I knew it was something deeper for you. And it scared me. That’s why I went to the club that night with Ino. I wasn’t planning to make out with someone else, but when the opportunity presented itself—I couldn’t help it. I needed to feel distant from you. I never thought you would show up, or that we would have a fight like that. I was so drunk. But then I blamed you—I led you on and hurt you and I blamed you for being the hurt one. God, Neji, I was such an asshole.

“I’ve been pushing all of the people in my life away, ever since my mom died. But Rock—he showed me how bad I’m doing with that. Neji, I’ve been so miserable. For three years I’ve been walking around trying not to feel like I haven’t lost everything. And then, when I started caring about you, I told myself I didn’t want to put myself in a place to lose something I wanted again. I was so fucking stupid. I’m sorry, for everything.”

Tenten glanced up at him nervously. Neji was looking at his hands, head bowed. Tenten drew her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knee. She listened to the sound of crickets; eyes unwavering from Neji’s form.

A few moments later, he looked up, gazing at her earnestly. “You haven’t lost me,” Neji said quietly.

Tenten squeezed her legs tighter. “Yeah?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

Neji nodded, his mouth spreading with the smirk she’d grown to love. With a short, amazed laugh, Tenten smiled back.

* * *

At four-thirty in the morning, Tenten, Rocky, and Maito sleepily entered the airport, carrying their luggage. They wordlessly got in line to check their baggage. It was a long wait, but eventually, they approached the counter. After sending away their suitcases to be loaded on the plane, they walked towards security.

They filtered through the security line; Tenten got through first and gathered her bag, casting a quick eye around the room. Her eyes alighted on what she was looking for, and she smiled, holding up a hand to wave.

Coming up next to her, Rocky laid an arm across her shoulders. “You know, Tennie, it’s not too late to switch your ticket and come to LA with us. We’ve just reunited and you’re already leaving us again.”

Tenten turned to her brother. “You said you and Dad would come to visit. Are you changing your mind?”

Rocky shook his head, waiting until Maito had joined them to begin walking. “I’m only saying we miss being with you.”

“I do too,” Tenten said, looking from her brother to her father. “But I’ll do better to keep in touch this time. I promise.”

They stopped in front of Neji, and Maito reached out and pulled him into a hug. For once, his eyes were dry, though Tenten could tell he was holding it together for her sake. “Take care of each other,” Maito said, releasing Neji to embrace Tenten.

She hugged her father fiercely, then Rocky, wiping at her eyes as she pulled away.

“Love you, Tennie,” Maito said, grinning widely as he and Rocky walked away. “Call us when you land.”

Tenten nodded, and watched them enter the crowd, headed to their terminal. Neji set a hand on her shoulder. “Ready?” he asked, reaching out to brush away a few tears from her cheek.

Tenten nodded, sniffing. Neji guided her towards their gate, his fingertips brushing her wrist. Tenten leaned her head against his arm and slipped her hand into his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yukata is a kimono for summertime, worn by both men and women.  
Qipao is a one-piece, traditional Chinese dress. It's also known as cheongsam.  
Iromuji is a plain, one-color kimono. Often worn for tea ceremonies.  
Kendama is a Japanese skill toy--usually featuring a cup and a ball.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed reading! Have some thoughts? I'd love to hear them.


	11. epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Here's an epilogue I didn't plan on writing. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

_ **~ epilogue ~** _

“Are you sure we’re ready for this next step?”

Neji looked up from where he was crouching, treating Tenten to a panicked look. “Are you seriously questioning this? _Now?_”

Tenten shrugged, biting her lip. “I don’t want anything to change between us. This could be a lot.”

Neji stared and Tenten waited, watching as a series of emotions played out over his features. After a moment, he straightened, opening his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a producer. “Neji Hyuga?”

Neji and Tenten looked over at the squat, twenty-something. His headset sat a little too far back on his head. “You’re up,” the producer said, gesturing behind him to the start line.

Neji nodded and glanced at Tenten. She grinned and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Well,” she said cheerfully, “I guess we’ll never know. It’s too late to back out now.”

Neji sighed loudly in frustration and pulled her to him, kissing her squarely on the mouth. “Eat my dust,” he whispered, pulling away as he headed towards the beginning of the course.

Tenten smiled and snuck to the side where she could see the course laid out before her. Neji was stooped low as he waited for the starting buzzer, tensed and ready.

When Tenten had divulged she and Neji’s obsessive watching of the popular television obstacle course show to her brother, she’d never expected anything from it. However, when Rocky had called a few months ago, saying he’d met one of the producers from the show, Tenten had jumped at the chance.

She and Neji had been drafted as walk-ons, a selection of contestants that filled in gaps for airtime. The timing had been near perfect—filming for the show was taking place the same week of Rocky’s movie premiere. Tenten and Neji had arrived in LA only a couple of days before and had spent most of their time getting in some last-minute workouts and adjusting to jet lag.

The buzzer blared and Neji raced forward. He quickly set a steady pace, hopping across beams and scaling walls. Tenten chewed on the edge of her thumbnail nervously as Neji hesitated before a section of plexiglass wall, analyzing it from below.

Tenten glanced at the big red clock that was recording Neji’s time. “Come on, Hyuga!” Tenten called out.

Neji bounced on the trampoline for a few seconds, before launching himself up, his legs spread across the four-foot distance between the walls. He’d misjudged the height a little and had settled towards the bottom of the wall, leaving him little space for error. Tenten watched as Neji struggled to make it to the end of the plexiglass wall, his feet starting to lose traction on the wall. Finally, not far from where Neji could safely jump down, he slipped, splashing into the pool below.

“Dammit,” Tenten muttered, watching Neji re-emerge from the water. She cheered along with the rest of the crowd for Neji but was soon approached by another producer.

“Tenten Li? Your turn.”

Tenten felt her stomach turn to knots, adrenaline flooding her veins. She walked up to the starting line, her eyes searching for her father and Rocky. They’d come down from the stands and were yelling their heads off, jumping up and down in enthusiasm. She saw Neji join them, dripping wet, a towel thrown over his shoulders. He flashed her a smirk and waved.

The buzzer sounded.

Tenten took a deep breath and set off, flying easily past steps and scaling up the forest of rope swings. She had a close call as she attempted to cross a section of swinging balance beams, but pushed herself forward, not pausing long enough to rest. She swiftly reached the next section of course, an obstacle that involved clinging to a ring and moving it up and down pegs to traverse the distance to the next segment.

Tenten took a deep breath, hearing the distinct yells of her father and brother’s encouragement. She smiled and launched herself up, grasping the ring. She swung for a moment, gaining momentum, before pushing up, moving the ring from the first peg to the second.

There were roars of cheers from the assembled crowd. “GO, TENNIE!” Rocky screamed from below.

Tenten tried to push away the thought that Rocky had called her by her embarrassing nickname on national television. She swung her body again and moved to the third peg, letting out a relieved breath.

As she swung for the fourth and highest rung, Tenten swallowed and readjusted her grip, her hands slippery on the metal ring. She moved upward and felt the ring hit the peg, but it didn’t catch. She cursed as she fell the several feet into the pool. Tenten rushed up to the surface and sucked in a big breath, a grin on her face. As she stepped out of the pool, producers ushered her off the course, throwing her a towel.

Her father, Rocky, and Neji met her behind the stage.

“Tennie, you did so well!” Rocky exclaimed, beaming.

“Your renewed Shaolin training has definitely paid off,” her father agreed as he pulled her into a tight hug.

“Baba, this isn’t from Shaolin,” Tenten protested. “Neji and I have been training for this for weeks.”

Her father released her, and she looked to Neji, grinning. “Fun, right? And you didn’t want to try it,” she commented.

Neji rolled his eyes. “You lost the bet, you know. I made it farther than you did, _and_ in less time,” Neji said, clearly pleased with himself.

Tenten swatted at him, only slightly annoyed. “Yeah, yeah. I hope you realize everyone saw you hesitate at that jump.”

Neji scoffed. “I was coming up with a strategy,” he said.

Tenten grinned. “Some strategy.”

Neji opened his mouth to let out a retort, but Rocky threw his arms around both their shoulders, leading them towards the contestant tent. “You two argue over everything,” Rocky said, shaking his head. “Let’s go eat. Mine and Baba’s treat.”

They ended up in LA’s Chinatown, choosing a Chinese restaurant that was open late. As they’d walked into the restaurant, Neji had spotted a billboard featuring Rocky’s movie premiere and pointed it out to Tenten.

“And you said that my family was the wealthy one,” he’d muttered to her.

“That’s completely different. Rocky just plays a villainous billionaire,” Tenten retorted, giving his hand a squeeze.

Neji shrugged, following her father and brother to a table.

Since Rocky’s movie had wrapped, he’d begun receiving other offers to audition. While the fame had yet to go to his head, Tenten couldn’t help noting her brother’s confidence in his acting ability had skyrocketed—a bit amusing, seeing as he had something around twenty lines in his first movie role. Tenten had been teasing him about it incessantly.

“What should we get?” Maito mused aloud, consulting the menu.

“Everything,” Tenten chimed. “I’m starving.”

“You’re always hungry,” Rocky muttered dismissively, glancing over the noodle options.

“Rock, I’ve spent the last four months eating almost nothing but kale,” Tenten said sharply, her eyes dancing to Neji’s.

He stared back openly, his smirk ever-present. “What will you give me, since I beat you on the course?” he asked, his tone low.

Tenten pursed her lips, trying not to smile. “We can discuss terms later,” she whispered.

Oblivious to their conversation—or perhaps, they were attempting to respect their privacy—Maito and Rocky launched into ordering from the waiter in Mandarin. Tenten half-listened, her eyes slyly flitting back to Neji.

“I’m so happy you guys are here for the premiere,” Rocky said as they finished ordering, turning to Neji and Tenten. “It means a lot to me.”

“Rock, we wouldn’t miss it for the world. When else will I get to mock you in front of all of your actor friends?” Tenten posed.

Rocky treated his sister to a stern look. “Tennie, please don’t embarrass me. This will be a big night for me.”

“You two have mocked me my whole life!” Tenten proclaimed, glancing at her brother and father. “It’s time for payback.”

Rocky exhaled loudly and considered Neji. “Neji, please don’t let her embarrass me.”

Neji shook his head. “What makes you think I can stop her? She practically bullied me into appearing on the show tonight.”

Rocky sighed happily, looking between them. “Neji, you must really love her to go through such a challenge.”

Neji’s mouth formed a small smile. His eyes lifted to Tenten’s, softening. “I do,” he answered simply.

Tenten smiled back, a happy flush creeping onto her cheeks. Heart swelling in her chest, she said, “The feeling’s mutual.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're familiar with the obstacle course show, Sasuke or American Ninja Warrior, perhaps these courses will seem familiar.
> 
> Thanks for indulging me once more with this epilogue! Hope you enjoyed the story! :)


End file.
